Knighthood in Talpiot

Jerusalem | 2020

Dear Shira, Victor, Esther, and Ayala,

I am writing to you as representatives of the municipality regarding a matter very close to my heart.

My name is Noa, and I am an art student at Talpiot. As part of my studies last year, I worked with Efrat (pseudonym), who has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair.

For our first meeting, I arranged to meet Efrat at the SHEKEL Association building, where she is a member, located at 11 Yad Harutzim St. Our plan was to head to my school, located on the same street at number 4. Sounds simple, right?

In practice, the short distance between 11 Yad Harutzim and 4 Yad Harutzim took us a long time—not to mention the fear and helplessness Efrat felt when she discovered there was no curb ramp in a spot where the sidewalk was so narrow she couldn't even turn around. We were forced to navigate through the street (on the road) just to bypass the obstacles.

Consequently, I have mapped out for you all the "gaps" that need to be filled between 11 and 4 Yad Harutzim: sidewalks that need lowering and slopes that need to be moderated so that Efrat can continue to come and create art.

I am attaching photos where I have marked the obstacles. Don't worry—I painted them with gouache that will wash away with the first rain.

Thank you in advance,

Sincerely,
Noa

As a student at the School of Visual Theatre, once a week, I met with Ayelet, a woman with cerebral palsy who uses a motorized wheelchair. Together, over several months, we shared the meditative act of knitting pom-poms.
In one of our meetings, we went out for a short stroll around the neighborhood. For a person walking on two legs, this is a journey of mere minutes. For Ayelet, the path became an impassable obstacle course; the wheelchair repeatedly caught on potholes, broken pavement, and inaccessible curbs.
Following this experience, I decided to take action. I went out to the street and marked every structural flaw and challenge along the path with bright gouache paint. I documented this visual mapping through photography and submitted it to the relevant municipal authorities as a formal demand to repair the public space.
Jerusalem 2020

אבירות בתלפיות
כסטודנטית בבית הספר לתיאטרון חזותי נפגשתי פעם בשבוע עם איילת, אישה המתמודדת עם שיתוק מוחין ומתניידת בכיסא גלגלים ממונע. יחד, לאורך חודשים, עסקנו בפעולה המדיטטיבית של סריגת פונפונים.
באחד המפגשים, יצאנו יחד לסיבוב קצר בשכונה. עבור אדם שהולך על שתי רגליו, זהו מסלול של דקות ספורות. עבור איילת, הדרך הפכה למכשול בלתי עביר; כיסא הגלגלים נתקע שוב ושוב בבורות, בשברים ובמדרכות לא מונגשות.
בעקבות החוויה הזו, יצאתי אל הרחוב וסימנתי בצבע גואש בולט את כל הליקויים והאתגרים שלאורך הדרך. את המיפוי הוויזואלי הזה צילמתי ושלחתי לגורמים הרלוונטיים בעירייה כדרישה לתיקון המרחב הציבורי.
ירושלים 2020