State Crafting

State Crafting is a material investigation into pine, both as a tree and wood, in the complex landscape of politics, culture, and ecology in Israel-Palestine. The extensive planting of pines since the 19th century has shaped the Jewish national identity and became inseparable from the Zionist culture and narrative. Today, protected by law in nature reserves, Israeli pines portray an image of a seemingly natural environment, while suppressing the memory of Palestinian culture and history in the landscape. Through a collection of tree-planting tools and a moving image, the project uncovers how materials are carriers of ideologies, and the power of tree planting in shaping individual identity and collective memory.