On lands with thousands of years of history, landscape architect Shlomo Aronson has spent more than forty years helping to shape the modern nation of Israel.
His body of work demonstrates an undeniable design brilliance that balances nature and culture and a great reverence for the concept of change and continuity.
Oral History Framework
Video Clips are divided into three categories: BIOGRAPHY, DESIGN, and PROJECTS
Each clip is between 30 seconds and 5 minutes long.
Interview: Shlomo Aronson was interviewed on December 5-12, 2011 by Charles A. Birnbaum at his home and office in Ein Gedi (outside Jerusalem), and on site at projects in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and selected project sites across Israel. Also interviewed were Aronson principals Ittai Aronson and Barbara Aronson who reflect on Aronson’s design legacy and discuss the direction of landscape architecture today.
Reflections: The work of the Aronson has shaped the landscape of Israel for more than forty years. The Cultural Landscape Foundation contacted former associates, colleagues, family and friends to share their stories.
Learn how Aronson's landscape creates the connective tissue for Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Production Credits and Acknowledgments
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR
DIRECTOR/EDITOR
Gina M. Angelone
SA KWA Pictures
EDITING
Mural Productions
INTERVIEWER
Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR
PROJECT MANAGER
Nancy Slade, ASLA
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Noam Yadgar
Afik Yarimi
MUSIC
Brian Cho
CAMERA
Omer Yadgar
The Cultural Landscape Foundation would like to thank the many people who contributed to making the Shlomo Aronson Oral History a reality.
Our thanks go first and foremost to Shlomo Aronson, whose persistence despite physical challenges set a determined tone and a strong dose of inspiration. It is because of Dr. Nurit Lissovsky at the Technion in Haifa that TCLF embarked on this oral history, and it is because of the unwavering and invaluable support of the Aronson family that we could bring it to a conclusion. Nurit and the Aronsons – his wife Sandra, his daughter-in-law Barbara and his son Ittai – provided exceptional access to Shlomo’s work throughout Israel along with key insights about Shlomo’s life and career and the practice of landscape architecture in Israel that helped shape the narrative of this project. We are grateful to Sandra and the Aronson office for hundreds of wonderful family and project images that they provided, making the project more robust. A special thank you goes to Nurit who also handled innumerable logistical details, and provided us with a rich understanding of Israel’s cultural complexity, rich history and landscape diversity. The Cultural Landscape Foundation is grateful for the financial support of the Technion Research Foundation, Michael and Judy Steinhardt, Shlomo Aronson Architects, Ltd. and Safdie Architects, Fleur Harlan, The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Foundation and Dr. Carl Steinitz.
Photographs, prints, and drawings reproduced courtesy of the following individuals and institutions:
Shlomo and Sandra Aronson; Shlomo Aronson Architects, Ltd.; Charles Birnbaum; The Cultural Landscape Foundation; Niel Folberg; Nord Wennerstrom; and Kathy Wise.
University and Museum Archives:
University Archives: Cornell University, Clarke and Rapuano Records, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections; the University of Victoria Archives 2004-003 #8.1.10
