The Boycottables wander through the art district of the capital, without the backing of any institution, organization, or state. Seized by a new desire to act, they settle into the Living Gallery and launch a festival. Charged and eager, they return to questions of eternity, rage and redemption. In the spirit of Noa Eshkol – the high priestess, daughter of the prime minister – they open the event with a performance of the First Suite. Once the metronome falls silent, they let the text of the present hour appear. From the darkness, the artists begin to sound the cries of the postmodern aftermath. The eternity of forms shall overcome the wailings of humankind. Between movement and text, the Boycottables can finally raise a glass: “May the year and its curses come to an end.” They shall dwell in the gallery and remember the place – Terra Sancta. And they shall let their dance call upon the great religions.
This suite is constructed from two main themes. To simplify – one of these may be said to be the more ‘physical’, and the other the more ‘spatial’ in conception.
The ‘physical’ theme is expressed mainly in the changing relationships between head, torso, and pelvis:
The second theme, the series: 0 3 6 1 4 7 2 5 (1=45∘), yields intervals of 135 degrees. This series expresses space inasmuch as it determines the directions in which the performer moves, how much he turns in relation to the audience, and thus also determines the movements of the legs. The rhythmic patterns of the movements are also derived from this series.
Creator: Noa Eshkol
The Noa Eshkol Chamber Dance Group: Racheli Null Kahana, Mor Bashan, Noga Goral, Dror Shoval, Yael Wachman
Artistic director: Racheli Null Kahana
Rehearsal Management: Naomi Perlov, Racheli Nul-Kahana
Costumes: Alice Dahan, Keren Levi
The Chamber Dance Group originally named The “Chamber Dance Quartet” – was founded in 1954 by Noa Eskol to perform her compositions, developed through Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation (EWMN). Eshkol danced with the group until the late 1950s, when she became increasingly focused on developing EWMN, composing, and teaching her dances. After her death in 2007,the group was renamed “The Noa Eshkol Chamber Dance Group” and features both veteran dancers Rachaeli Nul Kahana and Ruti Sela, as well as new members who have joined the group since, Mor Bashan, Noga Goral, Dror Shoval, and Yael Wachman
Image: Natasha Shakhnes
Boycottables: Manifesting
Recently written texts by Boycottable artists.
Written and performed by: Michal Helfman, Carmel Ben Asher, Uri Duvdevani, and Yael Wachman
Styling: Royo Behar and Kobi Suissa
Music: Meitar Wagman
Editing and staging: Ido Feder
Michal Helfman is a multidisciplinary artist who has been active in the Israeli and international art scenes for nearly three decades. Her work explores contemporary and historical realities in times of crisis, focusing on individuals and communities who have responded to such conditions in inspiring ways through poetic and spiritual imagination. Helfman's practice is research-based, bringing together historical fact and imagination. Many of her projects are developed in collaboration with artists from other disciplines, particularly dance and music. She has held solo exhibitions at major museums in Israel, including the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Bat Yam Museum of Art. Internationally, her work has been presented at the Martin-Gropius-Bau, the KW Institute for Contemporary Art (Berlin), the Neue Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), and the Kunstmuseen Krefeld, among other venues. Helfman has participated in the Venice Biennale and the São Paulo Biennial, as well as in numerous group exhibitions in Israel and abroad. Over the course of her career, she has received several awards, including the Kiefer Prize, as well as multiple grants and prizes from Israel's Ministry of Culture. Her works are held in public and private collections in Israel and internationally, including those of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Since 2003, Helfman has been a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem.
Uri Duvdevani is a multidisciplinary artist and performer, he holds a BFA from the Department of Fine Arts at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and has pursued independent studies in performance and dance in Israel and abroad. His work combines a variety of visual and performative media and has been presented in solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, festivals, and various interdisciplinary projects.
Carmel Ben Asher is a performance artist and dancer. Her works include Reading: Lament, Ode to the God(des)s, Swallower, and Evening — a collaboration with Zuki Ringart. As a performer, she has collaborated with choreographers Tamar Borer, Yasmeen Godder, Michal Grover-Friedlander, Hillel Kogan, Roni Chadash, Noa Zuk & Ohad Fishof, Andrea Martini, Dana Ruttenberg, Osnat Kelner, and others. She is an M.A. student in Philosophy at Tel Aviv University; a graduate of The New Department – Research Program for Live Art at the School of Visual Theatre in Jerusalem; a recipient of the DanceWEB scholarship awarded by the Ministry of Culture; and a graduate of the Ga’aton Dance Workshop.
Yael Wachman is an independent dancer and performer living and working in Tel Aviv. She graduated from The Maslool – Professional Dance Program Tel Aviv–Jaffa (2017–2019) and is currently completing a B.A. in Philosophy at Tel Aviv University. As a dancer, she has collaborated with various choreographers, including Yasmeen Godder, Guy Gutmann, Lilach Pnina Livne, and others. She currently dances with the Chamber Dance Group, which continues the legacy of Noa Eshkol, and works at the Noa Eshkol Archive on various projects.
Image: Tal Galon
Body Position of PrayingInbal Hacker
The work is composed of body positions drawn from the prayer practices of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. By adopting these prayer postures, non-believing performers become a local religious hybrid. As prayer historically replaced the practice of sacrificing, the work echoes the role and purpose of the body in the local landscape. Through the separation of body from belief, the group becomes a collective body practicing prayer without intention.
Creator: Inbal Hacker
Performers: Noa Itzhaki, Einat Segev, Shalom Gil, Chen Chefetz, Noa Halfi, Dror Shoval, Rei Cagan, Shira Marek and Talya Levy
Costume design: Mai Aylon
Produced with the support of Mifal HaPais
Inbal Hacker is a multidisciplinary artist working through the body, integrating choreographic and theatrical approaches. She is a graduate of the School of Visual Theatre and is currently pursuing Cultural Studies at Sapir Academic College. Her works have been presented at ZAZ Festival, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Performance Conference at the School of Visual Theatre, Manofim Festival, and A-Genre Festival. In her practice, the body functions as an executor of action systems based on adoption, repetition, and imitation, through which the meaning of the movements are examined.
