BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — Israel’s booth at the Buenos Aires Book Fair was awarded a prize for creativity.
A jury of design, architecture and fairs-management professionals announced the award on Tuesday,
The booth, almost completely devoid of furniture, features an open space in which the names of writers and letters of the Hebrew alphabet hang from the ceiling. The open space is designed to allow visitors to “recharge their energy” at the fair, to relax and experience the “creative energy” of the Jewish state, according to its organizers.
“This award is a surprise because we prepared the booth very quickly,” said Israeli Ambassador to Argentina Dorit Shavit after receiving the award from Foundation El Libro Director Gabriela Adamo.
Israel’s participation in the book fair had been uncertain due to the recent strike by Israeli diplomats, which had halted the activities of the designer and workers.
“We haven’t time to prepare a traditional booth. The whole process of designing and building a booth usually takes two months, but I had eight days after the strike,” Javier Basevich, the creative designer and director of the project, told JTA. So instead of building a booth, he created a colorful space.
The jury said in its decision that “the booth uses noteworthy materials” and that “the creativity takes the most from those resources”
During the acceptance ceremony for the award, the Israeli ambassador announced two bilateral agreements signed last month between Argentina and Israel in the fields of film production and education.
The book fair runs through May 12. It reportedly is the most crowded book fair in the Spanish-speaking world; last year more than one million people attended.
