Mamilla Pool is one of several ancient reservoirs that supplied water to the inhabitants of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is located outside the walls of the Old City about 700 yards northwest of Jaffa Gate in the centre of the Mamilla Cemetery.
Despite its central location in the heart of Jerusalem, very few people know of the “Mamila pool”. Between the streets of Agron and Hillel hides a large rectangular compound stretching across 65-100 meters with a depth of 6.5 meters.
The pool was constructed over 1500 years ago, in the Byzantine era. Its location was of immense (strategic) importance, Positioned on the upper part of the Hinnum Valley, one of Jerusalem’s historic borders. The pool was instrumental in supplying water to the residents of the Old city of Jerusalem/ Ancient Jerusalem. Today, the pool is empty most of the time, accumulating a shallow level of water just a few weeks out of the year.
Lior decided he would utilize the ancient pool, which is located right behind his back yard, and turn it into his own private and open studio.
During the years of 2016-2017, Lior photographed 90 men and women using the backdrop of the pool. These people came from a variety of sectors and backgrounds, but all were Jerusalemites with emotional ties to the city.
For a brief Hour, urban nature become an intimate, makeshift studio for each one of them. The photographer’s work space became the subjects’ acclimation space, with each and every one of them choosing a corner within the given space. There were those who chose to stand on dry ground, while others preferred to get in the water. One who preferred a hidden nook, and another who grasped a living tree branch. One who took the stairs down to the pool, and another who stayed above. Just like the weather, the lighting, the shadows and the rest of the changing elements, every one of the subjects projected in his photograph his own unique self. In the way that he stood, in his expression and in wardrobe choice.
