Observation / The Field Observers of the Gaza Sector: A Video Installation by Talya Lavie
The video installation Observation by Talya Lavie (writer and director of the film Zero Motivation) consists of ten testimonies of female field observers who served on the Gaza Strip border between 2016-2024.
One of the first and deadliest battles of October 7, 2023, took place at the Nahal Oz outpost bordering the Gaza Strip. The tragic fate of the observers at this outpost and the discourse that developed in its wake have highlighted the military role of the field observer. Lavie's work is not an investigative report into the chain of events that led to the October 7 attacks. Instead, the work weaves a web of stories that deal with fate and chance, responsibility and guilt, and empathy and friendship on the edge of the abyss.
Lavie turns her gaze to young women serving their mandatory military service assigned to seemingly junior positions, but who in practice bear enormous responsibility: they are required to sit for long hours in war rooms along the country's borders, watching screens monitoring occurrences beyond the border fence.
The testimonies paint a picture of pride and solidarity, alongside frustration, challenging decisions, and moral dilemmas. The bonds of friendship formed between the observers through heart-to-heart conversations held during long shifts, with no eye contact, become a significant part of their lives. So do the relationships with their superiors and, somewhat unexpectedly, even with the subjects of their observation, whose life routines they come to know in intimate detail.
Lavie chooses to use a limited set of artistic means: the camera focuses on the face of each speaker, set against a black background. She avoids using additional footage and allows those who might otherwise seem transparent to be seen and heard. The video installation consists of two channels. On the main screen, the speakers appear in chronological order according to the time of their military service. The second channel, projected at the back of the gallery space, is arranged to simulate the shift change procedure, or the transmission of testimony, from one to another across time and space.
Running time: 60 minutes. Screenings start 15 minutes past the hour (beginning at 10:15)
Installation view
Photo: Elad Sarig
The exhibition was generously supported by Alan and Caroline Howard, The Lottery Council for Culture and Art and produced by Spiro Films
