Shaping Knowledge Anew

Neil Postman, a media theorist and an educator, asks how the media shapes our perception of reality, truth, and knowledge. How does it inform and affect any given culture’s idea of the world and the natural order of things?
In this issue we would like to raise the question of how does video dance renews our knowledge of dance, of the stage, and the world in general.
This second issue of Ma’akaf centers on video//dance, and maybe more so than the genres themselves, it looks at the space between them.
As in every issue of Ma’akaf, we hope to create a space for an artistic discourse about matters which are fundamental to artists and their practices, and for this reason we have collated a broad spectrum of artists who work around the field, who have raised questions in regards to its nature, its essence, and boundaries.
 
Ira Avneri discusses shared aspects in the works of Bruce Nauman and Hezy Leskly. Avi Feldman raises concerns regarding the financial aspects of the creation process, through a review of Berlin’s first Documentary forum, and directs some challenging questions towards artistic directors, curators and makers in the field. Ran Brown converses with Matt Adams, co-founder of performance group Blast Theory, on the influence of new media on the performing arts. Li Lorian remains somewhat bothered after having watched Israeli works in the recent video Dance Festival that took place at the School of Visual Theatre in Jerusalem. Maya Brinner puts down in writing some of her thoughts in regards to the 1992 collaboration between filmmaker Peter Greenaway and choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. Lee Yanor turns stills photographs and videos into an experiential art work in her photography series Floating Fields. The Flies on the Wall are eavesdropping on a conversation between Iris Erez, Binyamin Friedenberg and Itay Marom. Their discussion centers around their collaboration on “Rehearsal Room”, as well as questions regarding the making of a video dance as seen by the choreographer and performer, and the director and cinematographer. Hilll Kogan shares results of an online research he conducted in an attempt to define the video dance field. 

You can find variety of resources on video dance as well as festival links in the "Praktika" editorial, along with up-to-date information on schools, residencies, competitions and collaborative opportunities, all aimed at helping local artists and encouraging the making of new works.
 
Roger Silverstone, a contemporary media theorist, claims that we cannot escape the media, and that it’s at the very heart of our everyday lives. Silverstone insists that in the contemporary world we live in, new technologies provide a stage: each one of us can demand a public space, if they gather an audience who care to listen. It seems that the performance field is also affected by the changing media; in the 2010 Intimadance Festival an evening was dedicated to performers responding to Youtube clips. Gal Naor’s work “Interference” cleverly uses Youtube, reality-TV and the way in which it’s reshaped our perception of media and its cultural/social influences.
Ma’akaf makes use of opportunities inherent in new technologies as well, and demands a space for an artistic dialogue. Is there anyone out there listening?

From Hebrew: Sivan Gabrielovich - Gal

Cover Image: Iris Erez in “Rehearsal Room": (Directed by Binyamin Friedenberg).
Photgrapher: Itay Marom