Three Works for Piano (2020)
Video
Breaking the silence with Cage, Antheil and the Wiener Gruppe
On Paranoia TV starting 4.10.
In English (with German subtitles)
Credits
Actors: Itay Tiran, Dulcie Smart
Written and directed by: Dani Gal
D.o.P. : Itay Marom
Creative Producer: Caroline Kirberg
Coproducer: Jade Niklai
Commissioned by steirischer herbst ’20, Kirberg Motors, and Blood Mountain Projects
Produced by Kirberg Motors and Blood Mountain Projects in coproduction with steirischer herbst ’20
Funded by Kunstfonds Bonn and Artis
A spontaneous Kibbutznik choir breaks the avant-garde classic’s pregnant silence. A pianist places a gun on his instrument to keep the rioting audience at bay. A grand piano is smashed to smithereens. Dani Gal’s new film for Paranoia TV reconstructs three famous episodes from the history of avant-garde music. Shot in hauntingly empty concert halls during the lockdown, they tell a story of today’s Israeli soldiers who refuse to remain silent about their role in the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Many people in Israel today are familiar with the conditions that this situation entails, but the details are not a topic of public discussion. The NGO Breaking the Silence is trying to change this situation by publishing former soldiers’ statements. For some, such whistleblowing is an act of heroism; for others, it merely is treason. The artists and composers of the avant-garde enjoyed a similarly split reception, and for some of them, such as Cage, Antheil, or the Wiener Gruppe, silence or the lack thereof was a central concern. In both cases, the main issue is the tension between the audience and those questioning entrenched modes of listening and thinking as well as the national narratives that ground them.
Bio
Dani Gal (1975, Jerusalem, Israel) is a visual artist and filmmaker. His work investigates the production of memory and collective history. His films and sound installations reconstruct and reconfigure preexisting documentary materials, blending them with fiction, and address current political events. He lives in Berlin.
Credits
Actors: Itay Tiran, Dulcie Smart
Written and directed by: Dani Gal
D.o.P. : Itay Marom
Creative Producer: Caroline Kirberg
Coproducer: Jade Niklai
Commissioned by steirischer herbst ’20, Kirberg Motors, and Blood Mountain Projects
Produced by Kirberg Motors and Blood Mountain Projects in coproduction with steirischer herbst ’20
Funded by Kunstfonds Bonn and Artis