A project by Lea Weigert
University of Europe for Applied Sciences Berlin
Prof. Katharina Mayer
Before the Israel trip, I was not sure what my project should be about. I felt intimidated by the complex and tense political situation in Israel, and the by the photographic work of the other participants. At first, I planned a follow-up to the my earlier silk project – a travel reportage in comic format. This was, however, not going to be possible to do. Whatever project I did, I wanted to work with others, interview them, listen to them, interact and learn from, and with, them.
A tattoo appointment at the Lev-Studio in Tel Aviv gave me an idea. I decided to tattoo others as a travel project. It seemed appropriate as one always has very nice and often intense conversations during tattooing. I am aware that Judaism, the Holocaust and Germany are highly sensitive subjects, but my project is in no way about labelling, branding and humiliation. It is about connecting, understanding and individuality.
The tattoo images originated from real observation of landscape, and from impressions recorded in the cities I visited, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I worked with photographs to support my ideas. Thank you Shir, Luca, Pauline, Lior, Bahaa, and Alma for your great trust, and Katharina, Anja and Shir for all the organizational work behind the Dance with the Desert project.
