אל על | אטמוספירה

Magazine I Culture

Reality creating art

Since the start of the war, the art world in Israel has been trying to create art that touches upon the painful realities that have erupted. “Our wish is to deal with reality - but from a distance. To let art do what it does so well: create a space where complexity, reflectiveness, layered thought, and imagination can coexist”, say Itay Mautner and Michal Vaknin, the artistic directors of the Israel Festival, one of the country’s most important cultural events, taking place this month. “We’ve been working with artists and creators from the communities of the explosions, and a sound installation made with the remnants of fallen rockets / By Maya Cohen This year’s Israel Festival is for the first time leaving the confines of the capital and being held in the cities and communities of the Western Negev – Sderot, Ofakim, and Kibbutz Dorot, offering visitors the chance to discover a series of events and art shows with fascinating perspectives on the current chaos, including a dance piece inspired by the echoing “booms” of bomb

Western Negev as well as with well known names from the Israeli art world to create an artistic program that deals with the catastrophe that happened and is still happening. The works that were selected as part of the program bring questions to the surface, study them, process them, and offer different readings of the aching reality. It is a reflection of our desire to see a new reality emerge, one that is good and kind with every person that lives here”, say Mautner and Vaknin. Among the festival events and shows: | One Day Audience and performers together on stage This original production involves numerous participants - musicians, actors, dancers, and more, all meeting on the main stage of the Jerusalem Theatre for one whole day. The audience is invited to come on stage and take part, doing away with the traditional separation between audience and performer. This offers an opportunity to reflect on how and when “togetherness” is a source of strength, and when it is but a thin veil hiding deep cracks and divides. Music People The soundtrack of our times Music People is a social and musical hub created by Israeli musicians inspired by U2 singer Bono’s words on October 8 th , when he dedicated his show to the victims of the Nova festival

massacre: “we sing for them, the music people”, he said. The Music People venture was born as a space for gifted musicians from the areas most hit by the war, north and south, to come together and make music. In collaboration with the Israel Festival, a special musical evening will see young artists grace the stage together with some of their inspirations – beloved artists such as Berry Sakharof, Marina Maximilian, Alma Gov, Alon Eder, etc. Together they’ll perform both original material by the young musicians, alongside the familiar hits of the more experienced artists. More Than One Song “One song”, the excellent podcast produced by Kan, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, transforms into a stage show with eight musicians, exciting live performances, and rare archival clips, woven into one special stage adaption. Shout Aloud 24 years after the release of singer songwriter Dikla’s legendary album “Love Music”, and choreographer Yasmeen Godder’s show “Hall”, in which Dikla performed live with her song “Good morning”, the two artists meet on stage once again. Godder has created an enthralling new dance piece for eight female dancers in which Dikla performs her entire album live in a contemporary musical arrangement. “Shout Aloud” explores the notions of intimacy, relationships, loneliness, and social norms.

28 ATMOSPHERE SEPTEMBER 2024