In Situ

In situ — Latin for “in place” — describes an object or finding that

remains in its original location, within the context in which it

existed and functioned. In archaeology, its significance lies not

only in form or materiality, but also in its position, relationship

to its surroundings, and the layers of time, use, and memory

carried with it. In this sense, in situ also suggests a mode of

attentive listening — to the object, the space, and the traces of

time inscribed in both.

The exhibition In Situ takes place in the former building of the

National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, as it undergoes a

transformation in appearance and purpose. The former house of

books is becoming a multidisciplinary social space comprising

artists’ studios, offices, a café, and spaces for gathering and

creative activity. No longer what it once was, yet not fully what

it will become, the building inhabits a state of in-betweenness —

between past and future, former function and new life.

Sha’ananot, a collective of six Jerusalem-based women artists

and the first art collective to establish a studio in the building,

works through sustained engagement with the site. The works

emerge from processes of shedding, dismantling, preservation,

and renewal, lingering on moments when things change status: a

functional object becomes a remnant, archival material becomes

raw material, and a familiar space acquires new meaning.

The artists employ practices of observation, collection, and

transformation. Through the camera, they recompose the

building’s spaces and details; they dismantle and reassemble

images and objects, intervene within the space, gather

remnants, and draw upon materials from the site and its archive.

A work may begin with a glance, a found object, an architectural

detail, a fragment of space, or an image removed from its

original context. The building and its contents thus become both

subject and material, as well as a field of action.

In Situ dwells within the metamorphosis itself — where objects

and spaces change location, function, and meaning while

continuing to carry traces of where, and what, they once were.

It considers what is preserved, what is erased, and what is born

anew.