Heidi Schatzl
Did I speak English, he loved me, a stranger told me on the pavement and he also explained that he did not find it easy to tell me so. My teacher always used to stress how important it was in Hebrew to get to the point right away as you did not have the time to wait for the end of a sentence here. And Israelis were very casual, as an acquaintance told me in advance, you could ask any questions, that would not be a problem. On the contrary, that was the state of the art I learned from another source, those who avoided questions might have something to hide.
Israelis are very attentive. They have a keen eye for identifying who belongs where, how to behave and never tire of asking where you come from. Surprisingly, Vienna triggers a sense of yearning among many people, which is not dampened when I claim that Vienna was a bit boring. “Boring” sounds ridiculous to Israeli ears – not exciting such as rain and forests. Here, it is only you yourself who can be boring. Even though they do not always recall their names promptly, it becomes clear in asides that murdered grandparents and relatives are retained in memory together with places in Europe. Israel is from Europe but Europe is not in Israel. The aunt who stayed in hiding in Vienna and survived, I hear, had seen a Madonna statue smile to her. Israel is a journey, a never ending narration. “I can take joy in you and you can take joy in me, and so we can take joy in one another,” was the compelling logics of an Orthodox man who spoke to me in German. Enchanted by the evening light, I look at stones that each shine in a different colour together with Arab women at the Damascus Gate. They are delighted that I like what they take pleasure in. We are a mirror to each other. In their cities, busses, at checkpoints they orientate me so that I do not get lost in uncharted space and find the way back to my pavement.
| 1. | My stay in one word: |
| No obligations | |
| 2. | Things I miss since I am no longer there: |
| The palm in the garden, the heavenly light, the parched earth, the dust on the (train) windows. Pickled gherkins, pickled fish. Jerusalem, sunsets at the Damascus Gate, reading newspapers at the Austrian Hospice. Haifa. | |
| 3. | Dos & Don'ts at this place? |
| Riding the bike on the pavement, Friday demos in Gaza, I terribly missed newspapers in cafés (exception: Jerusalem), city maps are scarce, archive research is time-consuming. You can ask about things that are not available. | |
| 4. | Where you can buy great supplies: |
| Copy shops are scarce. | |
| 5. | What you should definitely bring with you from home: |
| Hebrew course, books, coffee maker, maybe a lemon squeezer (only available in luxury versions), curiosity and, above all, no fear. | |
| 6. | On art at my residency place: |
| Ran Kasmy Ilan organises a great exhibition programme at the residency, other exhibition houses you should not miss: Herzliya Art Museum, Helena Rubinstein Pavilion in Tel Aviv, Museum of the Seam in Jerusalem, City Museum in Haifa. | |
| 7. | Around the studio – this is where I go shopping, drink a coffee and get the best lunch specials within walking distance: |
| I hardly ever ate at restaurants as fruits and vegetables are so good even uncooked and all shops have fresh pickled, grilled vegetables, salads, humus and much more. Moreover, bakeries are excellent as well. | |
| 8. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks and best sound): |
| Often: on the train; not uninteresting: waiting lounge at the airport; best sound: the sounds of the sea on the beach. | |
| 9. | What I would have liked to know about the studio already at the start of my residency: |
| In the kitchen, the fire alarm triggers quite easily so you better cook with the window open. |
Website resident: heidischatzl.wordpress.com