It winds between green plains, limestone hills, and runs along some cities in the West Bank. Built from 2002, in the middle of the second Intifada (2000-2006), the barrier separating Israel from the Palestinian territories extends over 712 kilometers, 20% of which remains to be built. Its important security system makes it a border that can be crossed under certain conditions. British photographer Harley Weir has dedicated a series of photographs to her in which she shows the wall in its raw materiality. Entitled "Walls", his report, from several trips to Israel and the West Bank, is on display at the European House of Photography until January 12.
Recognized for her daring work in fashion photography, Harley Weir has nurtured her thinking around the wall by understanding it as a border that is both physical and symbolic. "When I first saw it in 2012, it was a shock, She says. It changed me radically. I realized how much something concrete can divide, separate. "
"I was told that this was not my field, since I was in fashion. Now I feel it’s important to share my photos. "
Metal fence, sometimes eight meter high wall, the "Separation barrier" is necessarily a divisive subject. Israel justifies its construction for security reasons, while the Palestinians denounce a "Apartheid wall" which prevents them from moving freely or gaining access to their land, undermines their economy and undermines the existence of an independent Palestinian state. The barrier partially follows the route of the "green line" (the 1949 armistice line) but penetrates deep into the West Bank to integrate Israeli settlements, preparing, according to some analysts, for its future annexation. However, Harley Weir defends an approach "Non-partisan", close to the report. She initially hesitated to show this work. "I was told that this was not my field, since I was in fashion, She says. Now I feel it’s important to share my photos. "
“The images are not edited. I worked in color to show things as they are. The light is incredible there; it is enough to reveal people and things. "
In its almost inert, depopulated landscapes, the wall stands out as an irreducible reality, at the origin of two distinct spaces. The observer posted on one side of the wall sees the other side as an inaccessible, even invisible beyond. Harley Weir traveled to both sides of the fence, to Israel and the West Bank. His close-ups also reveal the detail, and perhaps the absurdity: “I work on buildings or objects like people. I can, for example, treat the concrete wall like a skin ”, she continues.
The photographer chose harsh light and bold colors, which accentuate the features of the faces as well as the contradictions of the landscape. "The images are not edited, She says. I worked in color to show things as they are. The light is incredible there; it is enough to reveal people and things. A black and white treatment would have established an aesthetic distance. I wanted to be able to connect to the reality of the wall. "
Presented as temporary during its construction, the wall is not about to fall. While the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians has stalled since 2014 and Israeli colonization is progressing in the West Bank with the tacit support of the American administration of Donald Trump, the idea of his presence has normalized in minds . As if it were definitely part of the landscape.
