Warde is an urban installation located in Vallero Square, Jerusalem, and is part of the municipality’s effort to improve the existing square which is in poor condition. The square is divided by the tram line into two urban spaces and filled with facilities such as a waste composter and electricity substation. Warde’s attempt was not to fight the chaos, but instead to try and ‘stitch the urban space together’ and spread around such fantastic elements that would overcome the reality of the square.
Four gigantic flowers were carefully positioned to be viewed from all around the square, and from the market near by. Each flower is separately inflated and reacts to its surrounding situation, so that whenever pedestrians walk by, the flowers inflate and open up, and then deflate and close as the people walk away. If a bypasser is looking for a moment of shade during the hot summer days, the flower will inflate and stay open until the person leaves.
When the tram is approaching the station, all four flowers will inflate at once and signal the shoppers to hurry if they want to catch the tram. The result is an interactive urban pocket that combines the practical and the fantastical at the same time.
