A surprised President Peres finds his likeness in a field
During a flight over northern Israel, the president of the country was surprised to see a gesture made especially for him by members of Kibbutz Tel Yosef: his likeness etched into a 250 dunam field.
A surprise was waiting on Thursday morning for President Shimon Peres during a flight north on the way to the state memorial ceremony for Joseph Trumpeldor. When the helicopter passed over the Ein Harod valley, the pilot asked him to look to the wheat field underneath.
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There Peres saw his likeness on one side, and on the other, the number 90. The fields belong to members of Kibbutz Tel Yosef, which made the artwork in celebration of Peres’ 90th birthday.
Watch the reaction of the president:
When the pilot told Peres that the "picture" looked exactly like him, Peres replied, "Once I plowed these fields, now I am plowed into them. This is to return to roots, it is a great thing."
When the helicopter flew lower, Peres noticed that the children of the kibbutz were standing on the ground, waving Israeli flags.
The giant likeness which is spread over 250 dunams was created by field artist Peter Winer, based on an illustration by Yoni Zafrani. “During the first stage, I made initial markings for a portrait,” Winer explained.
“After that I burned the marked wheat with a tractor using an insecticide pole. This is what created the likeness," he said. "The biggest challenge was to do this in a short time span and under difficult weather conditions.”
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