Panorama, Urban Warfare Training Center, Tze'elim

The Urban Warfare Training Center is a mock city located in Israel's Tze'elim military base in the Negev desert. Built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and funded largely through U.S. military aid, the 7.4-square-mile generic city consists of modules that can be reconfigured by mission planners to represent specific towns. Known as Baladia City-the Arabic word balad means village-it is used by the Israel Defense Forces as well as by the U.S. Army to prepare soldiers for urban warfare. The simulated city includes shops, a grand mosque, a hospital, a Kasbah quarter, and a cemetery that doubles as a soccer field, depending on the scenario. The facility is equipped with an audio system that simulates helicopters, mortar rounds, and prayer calls. During training exercises, Arabic music is played in the background.
Kremer's panoramic photograph-part of larger body of work focusing on the impact of Israel's ongoing military engagement on the natural landscape-captures and intensifies the haunting artifice of this simulated desert town.