Ramallah: A ‘performance art’ banner in Tel Aviv has stirred public interest as the poster in Rabin Square advertises the opening of an Iranian embassy in Israel. Pictures of the banner have gone viral on social media.
The sign displays both the Israeli and Iranian flags and a phone number in which the caller will be greeted by a message in English that says: “Salaam, you have reached the Iranian embassy in Tel Aviv. Unfortunately we cannot answer the phone right now but your call is important to us, so please leave your name and number after the tone and we will get back to you.”
The banner was produced by an Israeli advertising company Baram, but the client who authorised it refused to be named.
An article in the Times of Israel said that the group responsible for the banner was Hamabul Art Collective and the project they launched was called the ‘Iranian embassy in Jerusalem’.
“We are a group of artists living and creating in [occupied] Jerusalem, trying to create a new reality, one in which we can identify with. A reality of dialogue between the people, not dominated by mass media and governments,” a statement read on the project’s website. The article goes on to suggest the banner was a part of a ‘performance arts’ piece to engage people.
Hamabul denied it was responsible for the banner, speaking to the Jerusalem Post. “We don’t take responsibility for the billboard, but we are happy with it,” the group said.
