Watching her country become more and more politically divided in recent years, artist Tal Tenne Czaczkes decided to unite it — at least in spirit.

Using gold thread, Tenne Czaczkes joined nearly 700 Israeli flags — a national symbol claimed in recent years by both the right and the left — into a 180-square-meter (1,937-square-foot) canopy that she says reflects both her personal journey over the last eight years and the country’s internal struggles.

Now the project, “The Flag of Flags,” is being displayed in locations nationwide, in what the artist hopes will be a public display of unity, resilience, and shared Israeli identity.

“The flag is for each of us, and each one of us has hope and a story,” said Tenne Czaczkes. “It represents each of us and our society.”

Eight years ago, Tenne Czaczkes began collecting abandoned, forgotten Israeli flags — often the smaller pennants that people attach to their cars and hang as bunting to mark Israel’s memorial and independence days.

It was Independence Day, and she had noticed teenagers in her hometown’s central square unintentionally trampling on decorative flags that had fallen to the ground.

That year marked Israel’s 70th anniversary, and Tenne Czaczkes, a graduate of Jerusalem’s prestigious Bezalel Academy of Art and Design who had created public sculptures such as “Sea Ball” at Tel Aviv’s Gordon Beach and “The Fan” at Rabin Square, had dyed her hair blue in honor of the occasion, identifying herself as a human flag.

“I come from the world of visual arts, so I’m the medium and the message, no agenda,” said Tenne Czaczkes.

She was also going through a trying personal period.

“I felt like a broken flag, like a broken woman,” said Tenne Czaczkes. “I identified with these flags; they sounded an alarm for me.”

She picked up the flags from the ground and brought them home to wash, dry, and fold.

“I wasn’t sure what to do with........

© The Times of Israel