Eleven artists from various mediums, under the direction of Tamar Raban, created the first Ensemble 209 performance piece, beginning with an examination of measurement as a concept – measurement of the body in relation to itself and to other bodies, bodies in relation to objects, body and objects in relation to time, space and more. Every measurement act created an image and motion in the space, stimulating psychical and mental situations and images. Ritualistic, industrious and operational actions, seemingly trivial and private actions, were transformed into a rich and multifaceted collage that allowed no degrees of separation between the "performance" and "behind the scenes". A direct address of the political situation was slotted in through a personal gesture by Raban to her associate – a Palestinian artist living in Hebron who could not come and view the event directly. A partial version of the performance titled "Skirts" was also presented in the BLUR Festival in an aluminum factory in Kibbutz Nachshon. A full version was exhibited in the 2001 Israel Festival in the historic Bezalel building.

A work by Tamar Raban and Ensemble 209

Year: 2001

Venue: BLUR Festival, Kibbutz Nachshon (Skirts); Israel Festival, Bezalel building, Jerusalem

Participating artists: Beni Kori, Shahar Marcus, Karin Mendelovici, Ayelet Gal, Hila Toony Navok, Michal Schreiber, Yaron David, Tal Shkedi, Netaly Brown, Ronit Monson, Tal Giloba, Na'ama Tsal