אדריכלות ישראלית

Architecture of Israel #

115

November

2018

The Blue Gatekeepers

page

english readers

In terms of its material composition, every

color is made up of three components:

A pigment creating shade, a base that

determines its physical qualities, and

a thinner that regulates its thickness

according to the minerals of which it

is made: Tree resin, oils, chemicals or

composed materials, such as acrylic,

polyurethane, polyester, or melamine.

The type of color used depends on

the coated material – plaster, wood or

metal, and according to environmental

conditions, usually determined by weather

conditions, whether inside or outside the

building.

Pigments have always been produced

from organic materials like earth, animals,

or plants; ore or minerals undergo

physiological or chemical processes,

such as carbonization, oxidation, rusting

or the extraction of pigment-rich natural

materials, such as milk, urine and even

dung.

Blue, for instance, was extracted in ancient

times from squids - usually mollusk rich

with purple ink (also known as the biblical

"blue snail"), seaweed, flowers and

leaves, such as Indigofera Tinctoria, (or

true indigo), or Isatis Tinctoria (from the

Cruciferous family); pigment-rich fruit like

cherries, beets or plums; and seaweed –

ore Cobalt (27), also used for producing

metal alloys.

Cobalt is significant for the development

of the style of blue in architecture. Used to

coat ceramics in the 9th century in Basra,

it was transferred to China for decorating

white and blue porcelain dishes. And from

there it was conveyed to Europe during

urban

the blue gatekeepers

in the spirit of sea and sky

Dr. Hillit Mazor

The subtle connection between the blue stripes of the Jewish fringe in memory of the

Second Temple and the blue-painted houses of Middle East and Far East cultures,

causes researchers throughout the world to attribute a mystical meaning to the color

blue. And not without reason – blue is the color of the sky – the seat of the God and

Goddess and, accordingly, expresses infinity. Characteristically a pagan icon, the blue

(Western) evil eye is meant to defy the devil threatening the brown Eastern eye with

disasters, particularly sea-farers and mountain cave-dwellers.

the conquests of Genghis Khan (at the

end of the 12th century) – leader of the

Mongolian Empire, the greatest in the

history of mankind.

As blue and white porcelain products

indicated wealth, blue decorated tiles

became a prestigious architectural

product found in mosques – such as in the

renovation of the Dome of the Rock in the

Al-Aqsa compound.

As a cheap coating material with the

richest visual effect, and due to its

spiritual, material and design advantages

– blue is popular in Mediterranean

architecture, primarily the Greek islands,

Turkey, Morocco, and Arab villages in

Israel, such as Fureidis, where the blue

facades stood out against the background

of the Carmel slopes until the sixties’,

when the Westernization process began,

following the cancellation of the Military

Government.

Merging gently with houses coated in

white against sun radiation, blue visually

merged with the sea environment. Not

without reason is it particularly popular in

fishing villages, where facades and door

frames are painted blue as "gate-keepers"

against invading troubles.

In this context, an ongoing project by

designer Anat Cohen-Halevy in which

the houses of the fishing village of Jisr

al-Zarqa are painted blue – is a blessing.

Cohen-Halevy’s starting point was social -

to rebrand the scorned village "squashed"

between the wealthy villas of Caesarea

and those of Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael.

Established in 1924 the village is classified

among the five poorest settlements in

Israel, despite its favorable seaside

location.

The hospitality customs characteristic of

the Arab al-Awarna tribe, who founded

the village, attracted escaping slaves and

deserting soldiers from Egypt. And as if

this wasn’t enough, due to inter-family

marriage, the rate of disability among the

inhabitants is tremendous.

Located on a sandstone ridge, the village

is rich in archeological finds – among

them a Herodian water channel used to

transport water from the Nahal Taninim

aqueduct to Caesarea.

However, neither this nor the adjacent,

content-rich National Park has managed

to attract outsiders to the village, which on

one hand lies along the Tel Aviv - Haifa

highway, but on the other hand is hard to

access.

Anat Cohen-Halevy’s assumption was

that the millions of vehicles passing it on

the coastal road would notice the visual

change taking place there, ask questions

and, after visiting, would spread the word

that behind the blue is one of the most

beautiful beaches in Israel, thanks to the

fact that it hasn’t yet suffered the blow of

garbage inflicted by careless bathers.

This action might bring about the

installation of direct access from the

coastal road, which could shorten the

way to its organic houses and, perhaps,

connect the various inhabitants of the

country.

As of now, the most the State has invested

in the village is a local police station and