Kibbutz neot smadar, shizafon junction
Kibbutz Neot Smadar resides on the Mitzpeh Ramon-Eilat road, about 60 km north of Eilat. Founded in 1989 by an idealistic group that calls itself “School for the Studying of Man’s Self”, the settlement is home to about 170 residents, 90 members and their children, who make a living from organic agriculture and a welcoming inn at the Shizafon junction.
The nucleus group lived during the 80s in an experimental framework led by Yosef Safra - a playwright and charismatic bohemian, who believed in probing into the components of the self, through an ongoing observation of thought patterns. Formulated in the spirit of mystics such as Krishnamurti and Gurdjieff, the idea aims at disassociation of all prejudices and mechanical modes of living, often taken for granted.
This “mystic” affiliation rendered the members of Neot Smadar the title of “different”, especially by narrow-minded “pious” groups. It would seem, however, that a continuous delving into the self as an individual in the group containing it, and as a living organism existing in the surrounding, does have spatial implications - some overt, others concealed from sight. The settlement conducts an enviable modest lifestyle, remarkable in its considerate and responsible attitude towards the environment.
The overall surrounding is esthetic and well-groomed. The term ‘living in harmony’ is a way of life, rather than a trite saying - possibly as it doesn’t always manifest itself in the prominent aspects of progress. Total equality exists in the settlement with no money, no cell-phones, no private vehicles, no chattering during meals. Only tranquility and air as clear as their brand-name wine - a product of the kibbutz found in fashionable organic food shops - which has become the main income source of Neot Smadar.
The key term is ‘joint creation’, a process in which - contrary to the architectural milieu - the creative ego is diminished to become an integral part of the group product. Nonetheless, cooperation is a challenge that requires of the individual to learn, comprehend and accept the views and desires of his companions.
Bearing witness to this is the Art-Crafts House standing at the center of the settlement - an impressive post-modern architectural creation, planned and built jointly over the last 14 years, solely by the kibbutz members.
Contrary to what may be expected of a shrine-like building, there is no praying hall at its center. In fact, the spaces, which are located in precise symmetry around the periphery, serve as workshops for the artisans - carpenters, sculptors, ceramicists, and builders, who built up the settlement over the last twenty years. At the center stands the gigantic cooling tower - a tribute to the ecological approach, which no one can overlook. Functioning as an inverted ventilation chimney (from top to bottom), the tower is actually applied to all of the kibbutz buildings - from the private homes above which is a chimney, to the industrial and education buildings that have a central cooling tower.
While the Art-Crafts House expresses the eternity of the idea of cooperation, the concept of belonging is granted transient significance as the kibbutz members leave their homes every four years, with their personal stamp left behind - and move in rotation to another home. Whether this is done to divest the individual of the materialistic attributes, or as an act of restarting a life that had accumulated prejudices, one of the by-products of this unnatural habit is the impact of sustainability. In this process, the interpretations given to a building by various users are accumulated one above the other, enriching the building with an ongoing architectural expression by numerous creators’ intentions.
The investment in architectural thought and the actual implementation of the complex details embedded in the buildings, especially the central one and the landscape layout, would not shame the most experienced architects and contractors, although none of the group members had been properly qualified in architecture schools. Basic work methods combine natural building materials - stone, iron, branches, wood, and earth blocks - with contemporary building technologies such as self production of GRC elements, stylized flooring, artisan carpentry, and metalwork - all meticulously accomplished, expressing the joy of creation natural to those who suffice with little in order to grant the most.
Kibbutz Neot Smadar resides on the Mitzpeh Ramon-Eilat road, about 60 km north of Eilat. Founded in 1989 by an idealistic group that calls itself “School for the Studying of Man’s Self”, the settlement is home to about 170 residents, 90 members and their children, who make a living from organic agriculture and a welcoming inn at the Shizafon junction.
The nucleus group lived during the 80s in an experimental framework led by Yosef Safra - a playwright and charismatic bohemian, who believed in probing into the components of the self, through an ongoing observation of thought patterns. Formulated in the spirit of mystics such as Krishnamurti and Gurdjieff, the idea aims at disassociation of all prejudices and mechanical modes of living, often taken for granted.
This “mystic” affiliation rendered the members of Neot Smadar the title of “different”, especially by narrow-minded “pious” groups. It would seem, however, that a continuous delving into the self as an individual in the group containing it, and as a living organism existing in the surrounding, does have spatial implications - some overt, others concealed from sight. The settlement conducts an enviable modest lifestyle, remarkable in its considerate and responsible attitude towards the environment.
The overall surrounding is esthetic and well-groomed. The term ‘living in harmony’ is a way of life, rather than a trite saying - possibly as it doesn’t always manifest itself in the prominent aspects of progress. Total equality exists in the settlement with no money, no cell-phones, no private vehicles, no chattering during meals. Only tranquility and air as clear as their brand-name wine - a product of the kibbutz found in fashionable organic food shops - which has become the main income source of Neot Smadar.
The key term is ‘joint creation’, a process in which - contrary to the architectural milieu - the creative ego is diminished to become an integral part of the group product. Nonetheless, cooperation is a challenge that requires of the individual to learn, comprehend and accept the views and desires of his companions.
Bearing witness to this is the Art-Crafts House standing at the center of the settlement - an impressive post-modern architectural creation, planned and built jointly over the last 14 years, solely by the kibbutz members.
Contrary to what may be expected of a shrine-like building, there is no praying hall at its center. In fact, the spaces, which are located in precise symmetry around the periphery, serve as workshops for the artisans - carpenters, sculptors, ceramicists, and builders, who built up the settlement over the last twenty years. At the center stands the gigantic cooling tower - a tribute to the ecological approach, which no one can overlook. Functioning as an inverted ventilation chimney (from top to bottom), the tower is actually applied to all of the kibbutz buildings - from the private homes above which is a chimney, to the industrial and education buildings that have a central cooling tower.
While the Art-Crafts House expresses the eternity of the idea of cooperation, the concept of belonging is granted transient significance as the kibbutz members leave their homes every four years, with their personal stamp left behind - and move in rotation to another home. Whether this is done to divest the individual of the materialistic attributes, or as an act of restarting a life that had accumulated prejudices, one of the by-products of this unnatural habit is the impact of sustainability. In this process, the interpretations given to a building by various users are accumulated one above the other, enriching the building with an ongoing architectural expression by numerous creators’ intentions.
The investment in architectural thought and the actual implementation of the complex details embedded in the buildings, especially the central one and the landscape layout, would not shame the most experienced architects and contractors, although none of the group members had been properly qualified in architecture schools. Basic work methods combine natural building materials - stone, iron, branches, wood, and earth blocks - with contemporary building technologies such as self production of GRC elements, stylized flooring, artisan carpentry, and metalwork - all meticulously accomplished, expressing the joy of creation natural to those who suffice with little in order to grant the most.
חזרה לגליון 77 back to issue 77
