IMAGES: VALIEL TALIYA BARUCHI AND OR VAKNIN; YOTAM RAPAPORT; BEZALEL ACADEMY OF ARTS AND DESIGN JERUSALEM


ARTS AND DESIGN COLLEGES


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: AlterNetivot, a project on urban regeneration by Bezalel students Valiel Taliya Baruchi and Or Vaknin; Lost in Nothing, a short film by Bezalel student Yotam Rapaport; Bezalel’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Campus


The Vitrimeric Elastomers project, meanwhile,


devised an alternative to non-recyclable elastomers — such as synthetic, cross-linked rubber — that pollute water sources and damage the climate; last but not least, the Salefet jewelry line, created during lockdown, presented necklaces, bracelets and earrings fashioned using ancient techniques of flattening and squashing dry root vegetables. Shenkar has been contributing to climate


change research for over a decade. So far, most efforts have gravitated around the Rozen Center for Sustainability, but going forward the college aims to harness its entire academic enterprise to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.


Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem Established in 1906, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is widely recognized as Israel’s preeminent academic institution for art, design and architecture. For over a century, the Jerusalem-based academy has served as a magnet for go-getters, championing originality, creativity and innovation. Bezalel offers undergraduate and graduate


degrees in a myriad of disciplines: architecture and urban design, fashion and jewelry, fine arts, glass and ceramics, industrial design, visual communication, photography and screen-based arts. In addition to the more traditional courses, the academy also offers courses in fields including sustainable design, apps and gaming, interactive design in a digital environment, 3D-printing technologies and groundbreaking equipment design, as well as collaborations with tech companies and the high-tech industry. No matter the chosen discipline, the variety of workshops and equipment on offer are among the most advanced in the country.


Bezalel encourages both cohorts and faculty


to harness their skills and viewpoints to embrace humanistic and human-centered approaches to art and design. During the course of their education, students learn to meet the challenges of today’s global society and blaze their own trail as agents of change, integrating their natural intellectual curiosity with new professional skills. Today, sustainable development stands at the


forefront of the national and global agenda, and Bezalel’s Sustainable Development Hub leads the efforts to integrate sustainability at the academy through the development of a dedicated teaching and research infrastructure. The hub spearheads individual and group


research studies, academic publications and conferences, seminars and collaborations with academic, civilian and business entities, on a regional, national and global level. It encourages students to take on various leadership roles, identify complex challenges, ask questions, take on critical standpoints and implement solutions that take into consideration social and environmental perspectives. With its eyes firmly set on the future, Bezalel


will soon move into a new campus in the center of Jerusalem. Located at the intersection between the Old City’s ancient alleyways and the modern center, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Campus embraces Jerusalem’s mix of civilizations and communities, the ageless and the avant-garde. In this new stimulating setting, which makes use of the highest standard of new technologies, students will continue to develop a critical and ethical way of thinking to cope with constantly changing circumstances. They’ll leave the academy as artists, designers, leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs who will impact the world of tomorrow, at home and abroad.


Israel has 31 colleges that award bachelor’s and master’s degrees. These dynamic higher education institutions often offer creative, unique and niche specializations


2022 | Israeli Academia 35


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