Orit Siman-Tov

Orit Siman-Tov (Israel, b. 1971) Rescue Excavation, The Western Wall Plaza 2007 C-print 9 7/8 x 14 7/16 inch image on 12 x 16 inch paper Signed edition of 50 Orit Siman-Tov’s photographs examine how diverse factors—geographical, historical, political, social, and religious—shape perceptions of particular places in Israel and also affect the activities of the people who visit them. Her recent Rescue Excavationsseries focuses on the state-mandated excavation projects carried out prior to new construction. Intended to protect valuable archeological findings from being irreversibly damaged, in effect these excavations strip away layers of the current landscape to reveal a glimpse of a location’s past. Officially speaking, these investigations rarely yield consequential discoveries, and new development is usually approved, but Siman-Tov's photographs find these routine procedures to be compelling revelations in their own right. In the process her work sheds light on the constant negotiatio