Bottles of Air Diary / יומני אוויר
I have never kept a diary…
But since 2002, I have been collecting air from moments in bottles, and after all of these years, I have created a collection.
These are diverse moments, from “small” moments to “big” moments,
from moments of laughter,
to moments of crisis and uncertainty.
From moments of war,
to moments of new life.
From moments of profound sadness,
to moments of immense wonder.
Life,
layered with countless emotions,
cannot be stuck in just one of them for an entire lifetime.
It is a moving film — from one moment to the next, and the next, and the next.
I cannot plan, “Today I will collect some air.” Rather, it happens very spontaneously. I grab a jar or a bottle that happens to be there in that particular moment in time. It is an intuition that tells me, “Now you need to collect some air.” And in many cases, it takes me time to finish writing the note for the bottle (I wait for a little perspective, rather than relying only on the impulsiveness of the moment).
Here are a few from the collection:
“July 30, 2006 — Evening in Givat Chen, air from the days of the Second Lebanon War. Everyone around me is recruited, including my brother. A great deal of pressure and uncertainty [I didn’t know that after this day, I would meet Netzach].”
“August 8, 2006 — Late afternoon, Beit Yanai Beach. Sea air — Netzach and I, after a serious accident with the Subaru. A moment of great fear, mixed with an even greater sense of gratitude that we are alive.”
“September 19, 2013 — Late at night, Ramat Raziel. Air from our sukkah, with the first winds of autumn. A feeling of rootlessness and uncertainty. We had yet to discover that this would be a significant period.”
“November 14, 2016 — Afternoon in Kolkata, India. Air from the world premiere screening of our first film, “Cheer Me Up”. 1,500 people in the seats, filling every step of the stairs, with people standing along the sides. My stomach is empty and my heart is filled with excitement.”
“May 23, 2020 — (During the time of coming back from COVID), wind coming through the window of our home in Ein Karem on a cool day (after a week of extreme heat). Air that Mili had been waiting for a very long time — in her words, ‘mountain air, clear as wine.’ We had just heard Aviv Geffen speak, for the first time, about true unity among the people of Israel (and without cynicism!).”
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THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS (in the meantime there are 22 bottles of air for years 2002-2026)
