Artis Presents: In the Studio with Dor Zlekha Levy
Artis is a NY-based art organization that supports contemporary artists from Israel whose work addresses aesthetic, social, and political questions that inspire reflection and debate.
Many of Dor’s works are made in collaboration with musicians, and incorporate sound as a way to reconstruct memories and forgotten traditions. Maqamat (2017) is an audiovisual installation, made in collaboration with musician Aviad Zinemanas, and explores the cultural history of Maqam, the Arabic melodic mode.
Reflection (2022) is a site specific, audiovisual installation in the historical Pool of Arches in Ramle, Israel, which can only be visited by paddle boat. As viewers traverse the archeological site, they hear love songs in Arabic played synchronously with prayers in Hebrew that have the same melody. Videos projected onto the architecture present musicians playing these songs on ancient instruments. Filmed from unique angles, and integrated into the dark-lit, spirited environment, viewers are brought closer to the history and craft of music-making. Dor explains that through a bodily experience of the work, one does not only hear the sounds that are produced by the instruments, but also sees and feels its composition.
