Nitzan Satt
I'm Holding a right Angled Triangle And I Won't Hesitate to Use It
Curator: Sally Haftel Naveh
Umm al-Fahm Art Gallery
Curator: Dr. Orit Bulgaro
Dual exhibition with Rami Traif
Oranim Educational Gallery
At the center of Nitzan's exhibition, "I have a right-angled triangle and I will not hesitate to use it," are three of the distinctive symbols of the Bedouin society: the tent, the water well and the camel. Set, an artist and architect, applies modernist thinking to them and creates a material and productive transformation that produces unfounded hybrids that are not without irony and humor. In doing so, she explores the potential for change inherent in the representation of a minority group under hegemonic policies, and as a product of erasure, alienation, self-censorship and cultural gaps.
The transformational process begins with the immediate introduction of a set with the Bedouin education system in the north, through two schools where it has taught art in recent years. As a result, you have also been exposed to the communal role they play, as they are, at times, the only secular public structure in the village. Because of this, schools are taking it upon themselves to instill the Bedouin heritage, which is disappearing with the change in lifestyle. But they do so in dissonance with the school's overall planning environment, which transmits modernism, alienation, and unity - a product of the Education Ministry's needs table (program), implemented directly
However, there is sometimes a marked attempt to make motifs from the Bedouin culture, with the desire of architects to throw traditional elements into the modernist language of the buildings. It is precisely these that give rise to the most fascinating planning moments.
The three works in the exhibition's central space feature tent-like objects, a well and a camel - three pillars of the traditional Bedouin existence, translated here into a sculptural-design language that echoes these architectural improvisations.
Social constructivIsm
“Social Constructivism,” part of Nitzan Satt’s solo exhibition “I’ve Got a Right Triangle and I Won’t Hesitate to Use It,” presents a modular sculptural array composed of thirty-five wooden frames that are meant for educational activity, each internally divided on the basis of an ornamental scheme flowing from the embroidery of a Bedouin dress. When the frames are taken down from the wall, the students attach a large wooden dial to each that helps them to solve geometry problems. Their answers are sketched on a piece of paper that lays atop the frame in a way that yields a traditional embroidery pattern. The work is an example of “ethno-mathematics,” a practical method of teaching geometry on the basis of methods of calculation that ethnic groups use at various levels of daily life.
Mathematical calculation is intrinsic to embroidered ornamentation in traditional Bedouin dresses. By linking math problems to the example of ornamentation, the work serves as a vehicle of social empowerment for children and youth in Bedouin society and in Arab society at large—groups that suffer from a tracking policy that fails to take account of their cultural heritage and inhibits their participation in math-intensive subjects. Satt’s aim in this exhibition is to set in motion a discussion over zoning practices in Bedouin localities. She wishes to enhance awareness of the public sphere in the hope of inducing young people, too, to get involved in the matter - particularly given the dearth in Israel of Bedouin architects who can create culturally adjusted buildings.
Consulting, support, and inspiration: the Tomer Peleg - mathematician, Samir Deeb- architect
