Synanthrope Preserve Presents

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Golden Howls

Gal Nissim

Map Map

An AR and sound walk piece in Yarkon Park.

Join us for a 50 minutes tour in the paths of the park following the golden jackals.

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As the sun goes down on the paths running through HaYarkon Park, the howling begins. It is the song of the golden jackals, greeting the moon that marks the beginning of another day in their urban life, a life full of adventures, in the park and in the nearby streets. The jackals, who roam the park trails every evening, have returned to the city after a long exile, learning anew how to live with us. Their eyes sparkle from amidst the low-lying vegetation as they look at us looking at them. They are curious. So are we. The ancient Egyptians, who lived in these very hills, deemed them gods and let Anubis, the jackal-headed human-bodied deity, accompany the dead on their final journey. We are still trying to figure out how to live with them. The park is full of life—some animals live with us in our homes, others charm us outdoors, and yet others we try to avoid. Synanthropic animals live and thrive alongside humans. They enjoy our existence, feed on our trash, dwell in parks and sidewalks, live on the treetops and in the sewer drains. They love living with us, even if this love is not mutual. Walking in the footsteps of the jackals in Golden Howls reminds us that one does not have to go out of the city to encounter wild nature, which surrounds us right here. It indicates that the city limits, like the limits of our affection, are purely artificial; they are just as real as the lake unfolding before us, just as realistic as the image revealed to us on screen.

Credits:
Curator: Vardit Gross
Exhibition and events producer: Naama Haneman
Social Media: Nitzan Gaon
Residency program coordinator: Yael Moshe
Graphic design: Studio Gimel2
English translation: Daria Kassovsky; Yael Moshe
Photography: Ofer Vaknin
Script Editor: Danna Frank
Original Music and Musical Production: Uri Mann
Animator and 3D Artist: Isca Mayo
Unity Development: Svitlana Moiseyenko
Web Development and Tech Consulting: Guy Kohen
Creative Consulting: Leslie Ruckman
Special thanks: Ganei Yehosha staff, Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yarkon River Authority, Guy Kohen, Tamar, Ilan, Nadav and Noa Nissim
Please note: the route passes entirely through the marked trails of the park; we recommend staying on them. Keep your eyes out for cyclists and scooters that share these same trails. We will stop to observe the jackals from a distance. Please respect their space and be cautious – do not try to approach them or get any closer. At the location where you are told to go up the stairs there is an accessible path to your left, which can be taken to reach the same point.