New Directions for Artistic Discourse

It is with great excitement that I am writing this first editorial of Ma’akaf.
Ma’akaf Magazine was born out of a void that currently exists in artistic writing on the performing arts field. It’s created out of the immense gap that exists between the amount of work being done in the field and the artistic discourse that surrounds it. This first issue is the result of two years of hard work, and it begs to mark a new direction for an artistic discourse. Ma’akaf is dues to be issued bi-monthly, and focus on one primary topic in each issue. I am delighted to introduce to you readers this very first issue, published with the generous support of The School of Visual Theatre in Jerusalem. This is also a great opportunity to thank Hashchuna Studio and the founding editorial committee members Guy Gutman, Yaron David, Inbal Yaacobi, Hillel Kogan, and Lior Avizoor, as well as Einav Hasten for the Copy Editing.

A special thank you is issued to all the artists who have agreed to take part before the first issue was even published.

Publishing an online magazine is born out of the need to move away from the ongoing struggle Israeli independent artists and groups experience on an on-going basis, and allow a space for a discourse that focuses on seminal issues for the artists and their practice. I can only hope that Ma’akaf will serve as a lively space for artists currently working in Israel in the fields of dance, performance art, visual theatre, as well as cross-platform artists working at the seams of these various art forms, that it will become a platform for an aesthetic and critical debate, and draw together a community of makers and audience around it. For this reason the focus topic of this first issue is the relationship between the artist and an audience, on all its varied aspects and implications.

Tamar Raban examines the artist-audience relationship in her personal journey within the performance art field. Guy Gutman examines the same relationship in a short history of the theatre’s seating arrangements; in another article he describes Brecht’s relationship to the (smoking) audiences. Yaron David speaks with Meir Tati, a contemporary video artist, on the meeting point with the audience inside the gallery and on the street. Michal Heiman presents a rare documentation of installations with Aviva Ori and Sigmund Freud. The Flies on The Wall Inbal Yaacobi and Ran Brown are eavesdropping on a conversation between Asher Lev, Maya Weinberg and Ariel Efraim-Ashbel. Their conversation centers on these young artists’ relationship to their audiences and its place within their artworks. Hillel Kogan raises questions in regards to the meaning of applause in various places in the world. A personal take on the experience of performing in other people’s works is given by makers Lior Avizoor and Arkadi Zaides; Avizoor deals with the notions of Sartre’s objectifying gaze following her work with choreographer Nimrod Freed, whereas Zaides raises social questions following his work with artist Hannah Hurtzig.

More in this issue, as in each issue to follow, is the "Praktika" editorial, which offers up-to-date information on schools, festivals, residency programs, competitions and collaborative opportunities, all for the purpose of promoting local artists and their work.
Each issue will also feature personal recommendations from Israeli artists on various international artistic and educational platforms.

From Hebrew: Sivan Gabrielovich - Gal

Cover Image – Maya Weinberg
Photographer – Gadi Dagon