Metro: Jerusalem Light Rail System

While in Jerusalem I took the opportunity to explore the new Light Rail network that had recently been constructed. This was a great example of a similar rail system to Manchester's that had been in use for a few years. Unfortunately during my trip I lost my camera and every film that had my exploration from Jafa, the main road through Jerusalem, all the way to Ammunition Hill. Thankfully with the help from Google Maps, I could almost re-document my exploration.

 

What was apparent when I explored Ammunition Hill Station and its vecinity was the spraw and development of new spaces. The three images below confirmed my initial thoughts on this as the landscape is littered with construction sign and electrical pipes. This is a document of the 'work in progress' after the Light Rail System had been installed, and is an example of the possible development that could undergo around the new Metro systems in Manchester. As I remember the sites were all now used as carparking space. This could be for the further afield commuters to Jerusalems town center. Would this be the case with the Manchester extentions? The new extentions merly acting as a more convenient access route for communters into the city center.

 

 

One anomolie I did come across when using Google Maps was the image below. When exploring the area I noticed a few signs saying Goverment Building. I didnt take much notice and carried on taking photographs. All the buildings are blurred out in a very sinister manor. Especially with the undercover police car that was caught in the frame.

 

 

 

Source: Google Maps

 

Mishka Henner

 

As I began to recreate my journey through Google Maps it made me consider the idea of appropriation and especially with Google Maps, how the content can be significantly altered when taken out of context. One such exampls is of Mishka Henner's project 'No Mans Land', which was an exhibition and publication of Google Maps images of sex workers. This made me reconsider the blurred out Goverment Building in the Jerusalem screen grab. Should the sex workers have been left in the images? Why would one coutry be fine with showing sex workers on a street and another being soley against the idea of making a building visible?

   Mishka image sources: 001, 002, 003

Similar images were captured on Temperance Street in Manchester which have now been censored.

 

Source:Huffington Post

 

 UPDATE: I found one roll of filme at the bottom of my luggage. Unfortunatly it didnt contain any imahges of the Light Rail exploration. My focus was on new structures or spaces underconstruction within the landscape. The intention was to compare and contrast with Manchesters expanding lines.