Dafna Amira

The New Central Bus Station

The New Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv is a planning and architectural fiasco that preserves chaos while serving as a necessary cultural hub for those perceived as unwanted by some in society. The Station is an example of a no-man’s-land which existence is needed for maintaining the existing social order. For three years I have been wandering around the periphery of the Central Station, my gaze directed at the architectural structure. Just as space is formed according to the internal images of individual imagination, this is how I photograph the Station. The photography is direct, Documentary- formalistic. Like a detective on an investigation or a forensic photographer, I search for traces of human activity in the space of the Station or clues to their absence. These traces are revealed in various manifestations: accumulation, dust, dirt, neglect, abandonment, dismantling, assembling, improvisation, and randomness. By being photographed and framed, these traces turn into mysterious theatrical sets. Unlike in familiar areas, within the Station there are anarchic spaces that duplicate everyday life and define the normal through the exclusion of themselves. The images prove the Station’s being an unfamiliar, alien territory, that cannot be described or defined, since it is not part of the prevailing social order.