The ZAZ Festival for performance art is a unique initiative in Israel. This dynamic and experimental laboratory of live art moves between different physical and human spaces in Israel, and between various forms of action, including frontal performances in a variety of heterogeneous spaces; simultaneous performances in multiple sites; actions on the streets and in public buildings that have a charged sociopolitical meaning; and workshops for students and for the general public. About 15 Israeli artists and 15 artists from England, Poland, Ireland, Croatia and Serbia will participate in the Festival.

 

The ZAZ Festival constitutes one aspect of the ZAZ Project – an ongoing project initiated by Performance Art Platform. This project revolves around a workshop-based research process, whose purpose is to explore new and dynamic aspects of the relations between physical and geographical spaces, individual and collective awareness and the medium of performance. The ZAZ Project involves 15 Israeli performance artists of different generations, who meet and work on a regular basis at Performance Art Platform. The Festival itself operates according to a flexible curatorial model: each of the European art centers that share an artist exchange program with Performance Art Platform independently selects its representatives for the Festival. In this manner, the Festival is based upon the range of organic, ongoing activities that have taken place at Performance Art Platform in recent years (the artist exchanges have been part of various events, including the "Four Cultures" Festival in Lodge, Poland; the MAP LIVE Festival in northern England; and the Lazareti Art Workshop in Dubrovnik, Croatia).

 

In this dynamic context, the Festival celebrates the live encounter of artist communities from different countries; it aims to create an experience based on a strategy of shared research and learning, and on the unique characteristics of performance art as a live art. For the general public, this is a rare and unique opportunity to experience the rich range of languages and approaches that characterize international performance art today. Those who choose to join us for this ten-day journey will be able to fully experience the extraordinary vitality of performance art – a live and continuous form of experimentation that is directly influenced by its site and time-specific context.

August 30 – September 1 Bamat Meitzag and spaces in the Tel Aviv central bus station.

September 3 – Underground Prisoners Museum, Jerusalem

September 4 – the Nahalaot neighborhood and Barbur gallery, Jerusalem (daytime)

Ma'abada Theater, Jerusalem (evening)

September 5 – Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem

September 7–8 Adama Warehouse, Mitzpeh Ramon

 

Additional details and exact performance times will be published during the month of August.