The Tell and I

The Tell and I

The group art exhibition “The Tell and I” explores Tel Shikmona, responding to its remarkable presence within an urban landscape. Some of the artworks in the exhibition react directly to the experience of visiting and roaming the mound and its environs, or to its significance as an archaeological site. Others create a more abstract dialogue with the coastline or with the unique palette of purple dyes, ranging from tekhelet (purple-blue) to argaman (reddish-purple). The exhibition features a mix of diverse artworks, spanning from two-dimensional to three-dimensional pieces, with different materials, such as canvas, paper or cloth, and a variety of techniques, ranging from photography and painting to sculpture and weaving. The works evoke an almost body-like sense of the landscape, with its beauty and vulnerability—as it is touched by air, light, salt, water and fleeting time.

The tell is situated in Shikmona National Park, within an urban park that serves as a marine and costal nature reserve. Many of the city’s residents visit the park regularly for sports, family recreation, swimming or fishing. In a sharp contrast to the busy main road, as one strolls the park and climbs the mound, an array of captivating views is revealed: At one moment the tell blocks the horizon, at the next, when one reaches the top, the head of Mount Carmel appears, sliding down into the water. Along the narrow strip of landscape, the vegetation is transformed as the seasons change: The scorched summer weeds are slowly replaced by autumn buds of coastal flowers, then come fresh grass and red flowers in winter and spring, followed by purple surfaces of sea lavenders. 

All the senses are awakened in the surroundings of Tel Shikmona. The steady whisper of the waves is filled at once with the sound of songbirds, some of which are rare species. In the midst of a busy city, the scents of grass and sea suddenly embrace you. The air feels salty, and the pools in the rocky platforms tempt you to take a dip. During sunset, the tell is a theater for a breathtaking spectacle of colors washing the sky. Nearby, the eye catches a single mysterious-looking architectural structure, a home to Israeli oceanographic and limnological research.

Let us take you on a journey to discover the site from up close, where you can connect with your own Tel Shikmona.  

Participating Artists:
Iris Cintra, Orit Siman-Tov, Yosaif Cohain, Yael Harnik, Yigal Feliks, Helene Rocker

Adi Shelach
Curator of the National Maritime Museum