Shani's golden touch

Shani Blumenfeld - fashion illustration made in a computer collage technique

Shani Blumenfeld - costume

design for a play taking place

in New-York in the 60s
(photo: Sasha Flit) 

Like Midas' golden touch, that whatever his hands touched turned to gold – one can say that the hands of Shani Blumenfeld (23), a third year student of fashion design at Shenkar College of Engineering And Design, whatever they touch becomes a design: As a young girl, rhymed verse she wrote and read in family events and presentations she created and screened to the guests - were the focus of attention and enthusiasm.

While being a student at Pelech high school  in Kiryat-Ekron, she created the documentary Foreign Labour (a Hebrew title which has double meaning: in modern Hebrew - a job being done by a foreigner, in biblical Hebrew – a faith other than the Jewish faith, especially idolatry), which won the prize for the best documentary inthe 2006 Jerusalem Film Festival. The same year she won the prize for the best director in Docaviv Festival (the international documentary film festival).

Shani Blumenfeld - garment
inspired by the Zulu, including
the special bead technique
used by the South African tribe
(photo: Sasha Flit)  

The film documents the daily life of Maria, a Christian Romanian woman that like many foreign workers in Israel makes a living by hard physical labor and sends most of her income to her overseas family. Maria makes a living from aiding an old man who lives in the religious community Beit-Gamliel.

Shani's film shows Maria's religious conflicts – as a religious Christian who takes care, among other things, of the religious needs of the old Jew, Maria's yearnings for her home and family, and especially – Maria's enormous dedication to the person she takes care of, beyond differences in age, culture and religion.

With these golden hands Shani (whose Hebrew name means "scarlet") is engaged nowadays in fashion design, and after completing her studies she would like to acquire professional experience where she can "utilize her capabilities to the fullest and express herself". She hopes to get to a fashion house which she appreciates and feels close to its design style. Later on, she might like to open her own studio.