Although it's been five years since the Gaza War ended, Israeli citizens are still dealing with the constant threat of bomb attacks and post-war anxiety. Right now, there are nearly 200 bomb shelters scattered throughout the city of Sderot, Israel. When a "code red" alarms blares throughout the Israeli city, located less than a mile from Gaza, citizens have about 15 seconds to reach one of these concrete slabs.
While these structures made from reinforced concrete are meant to save lives, they also pose as ugly reminders of the devastated city's past and current instability. That's why the city recently launched an initiative to turn these eyesores into something more inspiring. It saw artists transform these ominous bomb shelters into more hopeful works of art, which a Reuters photographer Finbarr O'Reilley captured with his camera and shared in a recent blog post.
O'Reilley took the photos of each shelter while the sun was setting, hoping to capture the "sense of foreboding" that plagues the people of Sderot on a daily basis. Although each converted bomb shelter does indeed look stunning, it's also hard not to feel uneasy when you remember the structure's original purpose. Click through the thumbnails to see some of the photos The Atlantic Cities recently featured. Read O'Reilley's take on Israeli city here.
[via The Atlantic Cities]
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