Israeli designer Ezri Tarazi has created a series of nine tables based on the cultural, religious and geographical diversity of Jerusalem.

Tarazi’s Jerusalem Tables are each shaped like the same map of the walled Old City – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has had a turbulent history. The tables present different information about the area using forms and materials.

With a surface comprising 20 sections of typical Jerusalem objects made from materials including leather, glass, pottery and copper, the Divided City table opens into two parts.

“The table’s design reflects the geopolitical situation of the divided city of Jerusalem,” said Tarazi. “When the table is closed it emphasises the beauty of the city as a whole consisting of many multi-faceted parts.”

The Bars table is made of a series of glass-covered decorative iron bars made using laser cutting technology. These reference the decorative metal lattices that cover doors and windows around Jerusalem.

“The houses of the Old City, like many public buildings in Jerusalem, commonly have bars across the doors or windows that are embellished with symbolic ornamentation, decorations, and texts with different meanings,” said the designer. “Different styles side by side in a single building provide evidence of the range of cultures in the city.”

The black oxidised-iron Gush Bloc table is a geometric abstraction of the map. The base is narrower than the top, and despite its solid appearance, the table weighs just 15 kilograms.

“When the table is viewed from below, it seems to be in an upward thrust, from the earthly level of the city to its heavenly level – a visual depiction of the ‘Heavenly Jerusalem’,” said Tarazi.

A series of wheel-turned bowls penetrate the metal surface of the Dirt from Your Earth table. The bowls are made of porcelain clay mixed with soil from the excavations of Temple Mount – a celebrated and contentious religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem.