Photo-essay. Eli Singalovski discovers Israeli Brutalism

Sunbreakers focuses on the architectural heritage of the state of Israel and attempts to examine its distinctive interpretation of the architectural approach known as “Brutalism”. It is a visual study that seeks to explore the singular outcomes of this unique architectural philosophy, which was characterized by a strong ethic of straightforwardness and directness. It argued that the construction materials should be left uncovered, ornamentation and decorations should be avoided, and the discourse should focus solely on the functionality and practicality of the structure.

The approach was embraced almost instantaneously by the majority of Israel's active architects during the first decades of its statehood. It also is an effort to examine the unusual confluence of political and social circumstances that led to the rising popularity of the Brutalist approach in the new middle-eastern state, as well as the multitude of contradictions between its idealistic ethical nature and the particular outcomes in actuality, of its Israeli interpretation.

Sunbreakers is one of the photographic researches selected by  Domusweb among the Gabriele Basilico Prize in Architecture and Landscape Photography 2018 candidates. The Prize intends to support the growth of visual languages in photography among a new generation of artists.