Findings

Year: 2022
Production: Limited edition
Material: Tennis balls (used), brass
Commission: Eretz Israel Museum, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Treated as legitimate artifacts of material culture, worn tennis balls that infiltrated the Eretz Israel Museum grounds from the nearby tennis courts were collected in this project as rare findings. The balls, eroded by the forces of nature, were picked up in the archeological mound located within the museum’s ground (Tel Qasile), and were put on display as part of the historical collection – questioning the validity of artifacts and blurring the boundaries between high and low culture.

The ragged tennis balls were showcased in a two-part installation alongside the archeological permanent collection. The first displayed the worn-down balls on fine stands inside a vitrine, celebrating their unique forms and aesthetic values. The second part was a large piece of jewelry that wrapped one of the museums displays. In this piece the balls were woven in a way that underscores their weathering process, treating them as valuable beads worthy of observation and thought.