Culture lives and thrives in the holy city, despite the violence
Manofim and Catamon, 2 Jerusalem-based initiatives, launch their annual events in a tense city
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
It’s a tense time in Jerusalem following the ongoing spate of terror attacks, but for a group of local cultural figures about to launch long-planned events in the city’s galleries, art spaces and bars, the show will go on, as it does.
“All of the city’s galleries and independent art initiatives are here all the time, whether there’s a [security] situation or not,” said Rinat Edelstein, who with fellow artist Lee-Hee Shulov, co-founded Manofim eight years ago, the city’s week-long celebration of independent art. “They do and make and show their art, indicating to the world out there that culture in Jerusalem is alive and well, in better and less-than-better times. We’re celebrating next week, but these places were here before, and they’ll be here afterwards.”
Ditto for Catamon, a local dance troupe marking their second year of performances in the bars and cafes of the Mahane Yehuda market.
“Sure, Jerusalem is complicated and difficult,” said Elad Shechter, Catamon’s artistic director. “But it’s the biggest city in Israel and it just keeps on going. We believe that we can live in this city despite everything that happens, and that we have to continue to make art, because it connects people to one another and that’s our agenda.”
With Manofim and Catamon about to launch their annual events, bookmarked by Matisyahu’s upcoming performance on Saturday night, October 10, the city will be hopping, hopefully to the energies of the local art scene.
1) Manofim, Jerusalem’s week-long celebration of contemporary art, begins October 15 and runs through October 22, a week of celebrating the city’s galleries and their existence, said Rinat Edelstein. With 30 exhibitions at more than 20 galleries and spaces, visitors can wander the streets and neighborhoods of Jerusalem, taking advantage of the sheer range of ideas and pieces.
The running theme of this year’s Manofim is voices — paying attention to those who don’t always get heard in the cacophony of the city of Jerusalem, and hearing those who may be missing from the conversation, said Edelstein.
“There are voices that can’t be heard, that can’t talk,” she said. “There’s a sense in the public discourse that it’s hard to speak freely, that you can’t really say what you want.”
She and Shulov pointed to three particular events during Manofim that attempt to amplify the role of voices.
There’s House Project on Park Hamesila, the city’s railroad park, called “Voice Over/2048,” a one-night group exhibition at the newly built stage near the section of the park that runs through Beit Safafa, the Arab neighborhood in the city. The exhibit, which was meant to be staged on the light rail and was moved due to concerns over the public reaction, tries to envision what the State of Israel will look like in its centennial year, 2048. Tuesday, October 20, from 6:15 p.m.
Still Engines, a conference at Mishkenot Sha’ananim on Sunday, October 18, will address the subject of freedom of speech and public discourse. Advance registration is necessary either through shachar@mishkenot.org.il or by calling 02-629-2214.
Manofim’s final event is The Grand Symphony. It’s really two separate events, starting with a tour of local homes, galleries and kitchens in the neighborhood of Nahlaot, followed by Second Voice, a gathering of choirs in the Clal Building, a labyrinthine 1970s structure with entrances on Jaffa and Agrippas Streets. The natural ampitheater structure and unique acoustics of the Clal Building will become a revolving stage of choirs, welcoming voices from the audience as well. Thursday, October 22, 8:30-10 p.m., Clal Building, 97 Jaffa Street.
2) Jewish reggae singer Matisyahu arrives again in Jerusalem for a fuller version of his September appearance, when he performed during the final event of the Sacred Music Festival at the Tower of David Museum. This time, he’s down the street at Sultan’s Pool, where he’ll be singing his anthem, “Jerusalem,” under the hopefully welcoming Jerusalem night sky, and welcoming Idan Raichel as his guest. Organizers promise plenty of security and police presence at the Saturday night performance, and there is transportation organized for Tel Aviv concertgoers. Click here for more information and tickets.
3) It’s the second year of dance troupe Catamon’s celebratory performances in the bars and cafes of the shuk, taking place on two consecutive Sunday nights in October. It’s hard enough selling tickets to see contemporary dance in Jerusalem, said Shechter, a native Jerusalemite who knows his audience, and he thought it made sense to bring dance to Mahane Yehuda, the one place where much of Jerusalem congregates on a regular basis.
“We decided to leave the sterility of the theater and allow the city to come and see quality dance, without having to put out their cigarette or put down their drink,” said Shechter. “We’re going to fit ourselves to the scenery of the market.”
In order to create the works being performed, the troupe challenged several choreographers to work with another artist of a different medium, knowing they would be performing them in bars or cafes, far smaller spaces than the average stage. There are eight works in total, and given that last year’s series drew some 1,200 people, they’re working to ease that pressure and perform each work three times, simultaneously, allowing the audience to bar-hop between performances.
“We have to continue to make art, and we find our strength in this type of thing,” said Shechter, whose troupe will be moving into semi-permanent quarters in the market’s renovated Beit Alliance this coming year.
From Jaffa to Agrippas 2015, October 11 and 18, Catamon
4) Okay, but maybe you want to get away from Jerusalem, or take a breather. Gear up for Transforms, a five-part event on fashion, design and art at the Jaffa Port. Organized by Galit Reismann, whose TLV Style tours of local designers offer a broadened view of the Israeli design scene, Transforms is an opportunity to look at the meeting point of the various disciplines.
The first weekend, on October 15-17, will look at the development of fabric and handworked textiles; October 22-24 brings silversmithing; October 29-31 is Italian-themed with an Italian designer showing alongside Israeli designers; November 12-14 will focus on fashion and accessories and November 19-21, the final show, will offer a last chance to look at the works of all the designers featured in the five-part event. Transforms, Port Gallery, Jaffa; Thursdays, 5 pm-10 pm; Fridays, 10 am-5 pm; Saturdays, 12 pm – 9 pm.
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