Performance Conference of The School of Visual Theater is an event dedicated entirely to the discourse surrounding performance art. The three-day conference will showcase new productions, guest performances and a series of talks and actions in our Salon, hosting invited guests – interesting people from the field and its outskirts. The conference is an opportunity for in-depth meetings of artists, educators, researchers working with multidisciplinary approaches.
In its ninth year, the conference events will examine, correspond with and reflect on the subject of tradition. Tradition is the transference of customs and beliefs from one generation to another, from hand to hand, from one person to another, orally and in writing. Tradition is a cultural system of customs and beliefs, who are practiced by a community and carry particular significance for it. Tradition is not pre-determined and cannot be pre-defined. It is an organic process, untamed territory in which things grow and flourish alongside one another, some of which thrive and put down roots, and others fade and die.
Tradition moves along a horizontal axis – between many people, varied in the way it is practiced.
Simultaneously, Tradition moves on a vertical axis – spanning eras and periods. It began in the past, sustains the present, and traces the future.
Contrary to the notion of the “traditional” as something rigid and archaic, Tradition is a living thing, constantly in motion, flexible and adaptable to change, flows and reshapes in response to the zeitgeist.
The tradition of performance art is elusive, shape-shifting; it isn't rooted in one definition or history. Its elusiveness is characteristic: performance is, by definition, ephemeral, fleeting, basic conditions for it are constantly redefined. This is not just a theoretical assumption. As we approach the end of 2021, we find ourselves at a pivotal time in the history of live art, in which its fundamental facts are being redefined. For three days, we will deal with the changing definitions, forms and models of performance and their capacity to mold (or not) into a tradition.
As the school prepares to leave its beloved home in Yad Haruzim (“Hand of the diligent” in Hebrew) – a space that has housed it for over three decades – and move to a new building, we will take a long look at the school and what happens within it. So many diligent hands worked in the school since its establishment. Hands that, built, decorated, danced, staged, edited, filmed, weaved and collected all those activities into a unique tradition. We will try to identify the artistic, pedagogical and social qualities that shape this tradition and position it in the Israeli and international art world.
We look forward to hosting you in the conference ~
Artistic Directors: Ana Wild and Maya Levy / Operation Manager: Sigal Nataf / Producer: Leah Stora / School Producer: Adi Kahana, Tsuf Kahata / Academic Secretary and Box Office Manager: Merav Peleg / Technical Manager: Martin Kantor / Technical Team: Ihab Faroekh, Gidon Levy / Salon Space Design: Carmel Bar, Shahar Kedem / Media: Doron Gallia-Kind / Graphic Design: Lee&Tamar Studio / Conceptual Advisor: Gilli Levy
Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, Jerusalem Municipality, Jerusalem Foundation, Beracha Foundation and Mifal HaPais Council for the Culture and Arts