Blue and Orange Word from: Alieza

Picture by Natan Gesher

Jerusalem has become an expressive interactive art project this summer. As many of you know, Orange has become the color of rebellion against disengagement. Orange strips of fabric are tied to car antennas, baby strollers, and knapsacks. The teenage counter culture has taken on ripped orange t- shirts and orange ribbons stylishly tied around their foreheads, reborn hippies. Of course, orange has a new meaning now; if you are pro disengagement, you can't wear orange. In fact the yuppie clothing stores could not sell most of their orange this season. [If you are guarding a coffee shop, you still wear orange vests without making a statement about disengagement, but symbolizing... you fill in the blank.]

Blue is the color adopted by the pro disengagement. I've heard some rumbling about how wrong it was for people to politicize the color of the Israeli flag. Others hang blue and white from their car mirrors, perhaps in support of unity, maybe in support of the government. There is no dictionary of literary symbols out there to verify my hunches.

In an attempt to comment on the colorful display of conflict, Gesher recently put up an ad on the buses: a picture of a blue and orange ribbon tied in a bow, and written above is, "Tzarich Lishmor al ha'Kesher." Loosely translated, 'we need to stay in touch,' both referring to the physical reference of touching or being tied together, and the more figurative meaning of keeping a connection with those you aren't so close with. The streets seem like a symbolic painting; everything means something here.

I wonder: Does my likening the political protests in the streets of Jerusalem to a museum instillation limit the virility of the protest? On further thought I think, I'm conditioned to think of art as a political tool. It is undeniable that the visual has power and everyone is trying to wield it. Haaretz captured a picture of protesting children scrambling around the Tzaitchem L'Shalom (Leave in Peace) garden at the exit of Jerusalem, while cops stand among them, like teachers amongst an out of control 3rd grade class at recess. What a picture: orange, blue, disobedient kids and cops standing in mirror poses and the words: "Leave in Peace."

The age old question "Does art imitate life or life imitate art?" now takes on a whole new meaning for me. If the Israel Museum displays bsamim boxes (ritual spice boxes), old shuls, and archeological finds as art, then life is art, simultaneously.

One more thought: maybe my artistic approach is really denial on my part. I, like Gesher, want to see orange and blue as part of one painting, to take a step back, take a bird's eye view, or maybe a God's eye view, instead of staying on the ground, bearing witness to the not so pretty conflict on the streets. Perhaps that's why my personal favorite was a car that had all the colors of the rainbow hanging from her rear view mirror. Purple pink blue orange - a colorful statement of disaffection or rising above the color war, or maybe simply beauty- we can still call that art can't we?