Category Archives: Art
Summer to sizzle at the Jerusalem Season of Culture
For five years, the Jerusalem Season of culture has been ushering in an assortment of creative events emanating straight from Jerusalem.
This summers program is expected to build on the very complex, and uniquely artistic and cultural backdrop of Jerusalem in all its complexity ad color. A number of fantastic events are schedule throughout the summer and Breaking Bread Journeys highly recommends that if you want to truly taste Jerusalem in all its glory, make sure to participate in one of these upcoming events.
In-House Festival: July 27-31
The In-House Festival will explore the meaning of “home” in public spaces. In the project HaKol Galui, for example, we will invite participants (in collaboration with the architectural department of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design) to a fascinating sound work among the abandoned homes of the Lifta village where Palestinians lived before being replaced by immigrants from Yemen and Kurdistan. Today the area is mainly frequented by ultra-orthodox men who come to swim in the natural springs, homeless people who are looking for a broken roof over their heads, and property sharks. Renana Raz will re-examine the hearing concerning a complaint against the teacher Adam Verete that was posted on Facebook by one of his students. This pivotal event, which raised questions about the limits of democracy, the status of the educator and whether or not freedom of speech really exists, is treated to some fascinating and extraordinary artistic therapy which will take place in The Israeli Democracy Institute.
Contact Point: August 6 (We love this!)
A magical night of art and people at the Israel Museum will bring dozens of artists together to present a number of contact points produced especially for the 50th jubilee year, including the “The Exhibition of Exhibitions that Never Were” in which we will reveal the exhibitions that were not staged for a variety of different reasons, and “Catalogues,” in which the catalogues that have been issued by the museum over the last 50 years will be used to make new works.
Knock Knock: August 9-13
Night. A standard hotel room in the center of Jerusalem. You approach the reception desk, check in and receive your key. This is the first step in a unique theatrical experience that will bring the audience together with actors, musicians, chefs, chambermaids, dancers, broadcasters and directors who will create intimate, surprising and very special experiences. Feel free to let go, lose yourself, go wild, hide away, or immerse yourself in thought.
Frontline: August 16-20
Back for the third time Frontline presents Jerusalem’s independent music scene. Among other things, there will be an abstract concert by brilliant electronic artist, Gilbert, playing a vintage keyboard or Marki Funk’s psychedelic groove project
Under the Mountain: August 23-28
The Under the Mountain Festival of New Public Art will focus on history’s biggest and most important stage—the Temple Mount. No doubt this artistic expression with some 20 artists will be newsworthy.
The Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival August 30-September 4
In its 4 th year, the Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival will brings together musicians from all religions from around the world for collaborative and engaging performances
The extended, week-long festival will unfold in five locations and include 25 performances by a long and exciting list of musicians and artists from 16 countries: Jonny Greenwood (UK) and Shye Ben Tzur in an international debut that combines East and West in Rajasthan, Shuli Rand will perform songs recorded by the guru of secularity, Meir Ariel, Mark and Piris Eliyahu will lead the Maqam Ensemble, pianist Omri Mor will play with legendary Algerian drummer, Karim Ziad, Mohammad Reza Mortazavi (Iran) and Zohar Fresco (Israel) will drum together on the same stage, Itamar Doari will appear in an exclusive performance with the best of Spain’s Flamenco, and Max Romeo, one of the founding fathers of reggae, will light up Zion.
For additional information:
Tamar Gur: 052-3024949 tamar@jsoc.org.il
Kim Weiss: 054-5377130 kim@jsoc.org.il
To purchase tickets:
http://www.jerusalemseason.com/
02-6535854
"The Benevolent Tree" Art Exhibition
In the midst of the fall holiday season that includes Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur followed by Sukkot and the Muslim holiday of Eid – the site of blossoming trees throughout the Holy Land can’t help but remind us that the fall harvesting season is fast approaching. During the month of October, Palestinians and Israelis alike will begin harvesting their fields. The Holy Land is the home for some of the oldest olive trees, which are about 4,000 years old. For Palestinians, the olive tree is important for economic and symbolic reasons. The olive tree parallels to the Palestinian connection to their land. Olive trees are drought-resistant and can grow in poor soil conditions. Similarly, Palestinians are resilient and continue to survive and resist for their independence.
Photo courtesy Debbie Hill for Breakingbreadjourneys.com
This is a popular time for people with different backgrounds coming together to harvest the olive trees. From my experience, some Palestinians are not allowed to harvest their olive tree fields because of the Israeli army or Jewish settlers. To assist these Palestinian farmers, internationals play an important role. There are dozens of organized opportunities to experience the olive harvest.
Since the olive harvest is approaching, an art exhibit focusing on olive trees recently opened and will be on display until December 13, 2014. The exhibit is located in the primarily Israeli Arab city of Umm el-Fahem and is called “The Benevolent Tree.”
Photo courtesy Debbie Hill for Breakingbreadjourneys.com
The gallery is three stories with multiple rooms. According to the gallery’s description, the exhibition “is an attempt by 78 Israeli and Palestinian artists, to reinvigorate the broader discussion on the essence, importance and symbolism of the olive tree.” Continuing, the description says, “the sanctity of the olive tree has become intertwined with the sanctity of the land, to form a single entity symbolizing the difficult arguments and bloody conflict that have been going on for years on end.”
For more information about the Umm el-Fahem Art Gallery click HERE.
Below are additional photos for a sneak peak of the exhibit.
Photo courtesy Debbie Hill for Breakingbreadjourneys.com
Photo courtesy Debbie Hill for Breakingbreadjourneys.com
Photo courtesy Debbie Hill for Breakingbreadjourneys.com
Photo courtesy Debbie Hill for Breakingbreadjourneys.com
Photo courtesy Debbie Hill for Breakingbreadjourneys.com
The route to finding those unique one-of-a-kind souvenirs is one of the most delightful pastimes of any Holy Land tour. Of course there are numerous galleries to choose from and a dearth of souvenir shops eagerly willing to take your money. But what is most memorable is finding that special something just when you least expect it.
That’s exactly what happened on a recent trip to Mizpe Hayamin hotel, a charmingly rustic organic spa property nestled in the Galilean hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the Hula valley and Golan Heights that lay beyond to the east. Drawn there for some rest and relaxation (during the most recent spate of hostilities) we participated in the hotel’s daily organic farm tour led by a local agricultural expert and Galilee resident. It was during this two hour walking tour that we happened upon a small art gallery situated in an area that we never would have found had our guide not walked us through the small building behind the property en route to the fields. The gallery offers a unique array of handmade jewelry, ceramics and other items made strictly by renowned artists from all over the Galilee who the hotel owner has cleverly brought together under one roof. The back room featured a temporary exhibition by artist Aviva Sawicki, a local Galilean resident, who has specialized in recycled paper for the last 13 years.
Aviva Sawicki recycled dress design, photo courtesy Elisa Moed for Breakingbreadjourneys.com
In this new exhibition, however, Sawicki focuses her attention on recycling one of most detrimental of products in terms of its environmental destruction – plastic bags. She fuses together colored bags to create lovely, vibrant dresses in the hope that her creations will provide a greater awareness of environmental issues. By focusing on dresses – she effectively reminding us that we are a consuming society. According to her website, one of Sawicki major interests is to focus her work on materials used daily and to hopefully leave a tangible record of our world in the 21st century.”
Mizpe Hayamim was an incredibly relaxing hotel and I give it the highest recommendation for people seeking a quiet respite, unparalleled spa services, and excellent food- but discovering this charming art gallery was a huge and unexpected bonus.
To learn more about Anna visit her website.
