Vardit Goldner’s “Swimming Lesson” mockumentary style video, depicts the artist teaching young Bedouin girls to swim in a “waterless pool,” capturing the peculiarities of facilitating where there is little or no access to the resource. Through an element of humour Goldner highlights the severe lack of accessible swimming pools for Bedouins in the Negev region of Israel, insufficient swimming lessons and subsequent high frequence of drownings. Additionally, the piece addresses broader themes of discrimination and foresees a future where global warming and drought may lead to severe water shortages, exacerbating the issue.
Jury Statement
Swimming Lesson is a video installation and mockumentary film in which Bedouin girls are taught to swim in a waterless “pool”. The aim is to raise awareness of the lack of swimming pools accessible to Bedouins in Israel. This denies them swimming lessons and leads to frequent cases of drowning in the sea. Over 200,000 Arab-Bedouins live in the Negev region of Israel today, with access to one single swimming pool that was opened in the Bedouin town of Rahat in 2017.
Bedouins are not permitted to enter swimming pools in Jewish localities. While the work primarily deals with the lack of access to swimming pools due to discrimination, it also addresses the possible shortage of water in the not-too-distant future on account of global warming and drought.
Photo: Violetta Datskovsky
Photo: Violetta Datskovsky
Credits
Creator: Vardit Goldner
Artistic Adviser: Einat Weizman
Scriptwriters: Vardit Goldner, Hadar Aviel
Arabic and Hebrew Subtitles: Fatin Abu Ghosh
English Subtitles: Tal Haran
Filming: Violetta Datskovsky
Filming Assistant: Adi Sav
Sound Recording: Keren Or Menahem
Actresses:
Swimming Teacher: Vardit Goldner
Teaching Assistant: Zohar Shitrit
Translator: Fatma Abu Madegam
Swimmers: Arakib Abu Madegam, Saeda Abu Madegam, Hadel Abu Madegam, Aseel Abu Madegam, Njood Abu Madegam, Alia Abu Madegam
Companions: Hakma Abu Madegam, Marem Abu Madegam, Najwa Abu Madegam, Sabah Abu Madegam, Astabrak Abu Madegam, Sojood Abu Madegam
The presentation of the work is funded by State of the ART(ist), a collaboration between the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ars Electronica.
Vardit Goldner
Vardit Goldner is a multi-faceted artist specializing in photography and videography. Her artistic pursuits primarily focus on capturing the nuances of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and shedding light on the everyday lives of Palestinians. She delves also into social, environmental, and animal-related concerns through her work. She studied at the Faculty of Arts-Hamidrasha at Beit Berl College in Israel, where she completed the Postgraduate Fine Arts Program and she holds an M.Sc. in physics.
