E 10 The extraordinary meditative soundtrack, composed by sound artist Binya Reches, surrounds viewers in a bubble that invites them to linger inside. The sounds echo between scenes, accompanying the moving camera, and at times, appearing to emanate from within it. A key entry point into Underground City A is a sequence of signs bearing the names of locations in Israel to which the educational materials are distributed. For many years, these materials have made their way to remote locations throughout the country on schedule. The signs carry the marks of time: some appear fresh and bright, while others are tattered, covered in markings and peeling stickers. The painstaking work of preparing the materials and loading them onto forklifts, trolleys, and into vans is a significant part of the operational backbone of the Open University. The characters in the video are anonymous, moving at a slow pace, much like the stacks of paper near them. The forklift and its driver merge into a single entity: at first one notices only the blinking lights, and later the figure emerges. Underground City B: Three screens (arranged in different orientations, like a flower) showcase close-ups of the production line, focusing on the actions themselves. The movement here is fast, rhythmic, and pulsating — futurist in character — and documents the world of industrial machinery. The choreography is accompanied by the original background noises: mechanical sounds of metal, gears, and an array of cutting blades in the machine’s maw, rising and falling in a split-second flash; the sound of pages whirling rapidly, and at times, an irregular heartbeat. Periodically, green screens appear — a gesture to the green screen studios located at the Open University's Shoham Center for Technology, where advanced teaching technologies are developed. The encounter between the slow pace of Underground City A and the rapid close-ups of Underground City B produces a surrealistic, near-futuristic experience: the camera pierces through the “guts” of the machine, as unidentified hands approaching the dangerous machinery generate tension. This is an image of labor and sweat, charged with the sensuality of material and movement — a homage to the blue-collar worker. The works Underground City A and Underground City B function as a contrasting and complementary duo. Underground City A is characterized by a slow, wide-angle long shot scanning the space, facing the horizon, while the transition between one architectural space and the next is marked by a dolly in movement that draws us into the corridors and passages between the buildings. Underground City B, in contrast, is defined by close-up shots, rapid movement, and cuts. These are two distinctly different modes of cinematography and rhythm. The duplication of the shots onto four screens creates a kaleidoscopic array of images that repeatedly appear and disappear, eliciting a sense of anticipation: What will emerge next? What will disappear? What will be reflected again?
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