Urban Forest Harvest

Ori Ben Zvi's studio is located in a workshops area in the south of Tel Aviv. Immediately as I walked into the main street I could feel the special vibes, lots of graffiti and lots of simple smiles. The alley was very narrow and made me feel intimate with every passer-by. Around 11:00 one could get an awful asthma due to the sawdust cloud. One of the tenant joked with me that they usually charge 25$ per a photograph (because I carried my camera with me), or that wasn't a joke?!

Now days Ori is full of new thoughts. One of this thoughts is the "Urban Forest Harvest" (hopefully he is going to "wiki" it soon), meaning that today there are more urban population than rural, and by that expression he is comparing the forest's harvest to the city waste, saying there are seasons in this case too. For example, last Saturday on his routine tour he found some umbrellas (as it was the beginning of winter).



Ori uses 100% recycled wood. He founds it in the streets, from carpentry shops at the neighborhood and sometimes he pays a visit in "Hiria" (the biggest landfill in Israel).


upcycled (1)
The Shelf-Drawer. (If you are a drawer, in your next life you can be a shelf)


upcycled (2)
The Stool. (If you are a carpentry's waste, in your next life you can be a stool)


upcycled (3)
The Spotlight. (If you are an olive can, in your next life you can be a "Kalmata Spotlight")



What would you do with an old (broken...) umbrella? and what's the meaning of "Ubico" - his brand's name (Ori's answers are above).



The concept of "The Wake" project (the trunk above in the center), is taken from the Christian funeral ceremony. It's about the opportunity to be with our precious for just a little longer. The trunk made from all kinds of wasted wood pieces, allowing the material (in its final grace) to stay with us for now, and maybe, in a sustainable way, forever.
"The Wake" has been shown in London's "100% design" showroom and in Singapore where it was rewarded for two prices.



My thoughts about "The Wake"'s compositions

There is an image accompanying Ori in his work and it is to take all existing wood objects and to plant them back in the woods. This image conceals in Ori's power of creation.