'Pilobolus in Israel' launched in NY's Chelsea Market
Exhibit by renowned photographer Robert Whitman portrays interplay of both human body, Israeli landscape while following travels of Pilobolus Dance Theater in Holy Land
New Yorkers visiting the city's Chelsea Market on Thursday were treated to sights of Israel, including scenes from the Mahane Yehuda Market, the Judean Desert, and the Dead Sea at the opening of the photography exhibition entitled "Pilobolus in Israel," by renowned photographer Robert Whitman.
To see video of exhibit opening click here
The exhibit, which will be held through October 31, portrayed the interplay of both the human body and the Israeli landscape while following the travels of the Pilobolus Dance Theater in the Holy Land.
Dancers at Mahane Yehuda Market (Photo: Robert Whitman)
In one picture, the dancers occupy a latticed window in Jaffa; in another they make a human tower frozen among the passersby in Jerusalem. "I've wanted to visit Israel for many, many years, to experience Israel with this group. It all melded into one thing and was just an amazing experience and this is one of the reasons I became a photographer," Whitman explained.
The pictures cover a myriad of subjects, from mirroring the strata of limestone in the Judean Desert to rolling around in Mahane Yehuda imitating purchases of fish. Beyond the dancers and lighting, each picture presents a different side of Israel, exposed to people and a landscape that mesh together.
The photographs were put up for public viewing in a special exhibit arranged by Whitman and the Israeli Consulate in New York. Rather than show the works in a sterile gallery, organizers chose a public place that would serve as an open gallery for passersby. Chelsea Market is a former commercial bakery that has been recently converted from a factory into boutique stores.
Dancer in Jaffa (Photo: Robert Whitman)
"These pictures were deliberately hung on the walls at eye level, entirely exposed, just like the bodies of the dancers and the Israeli landscapes, which are integral parts of the images," noted David Saranga, the Consul for Media and Public Affairs in New York. "The dancers will tell their friends about their experiences in Israel; if those stories aren't enough, these pictures are worth far more than a thousand words."
According to Yoram Morad, the Cultural Attaché in New York, "We all approached this project with one big question mark: What happens when you put together a brilliant dance troupe from Connecticut, a talented photographer from Downtown Manhattan, and the people and places of Israel? To our pleasure, the answer is an outcome where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts—cultural fusion at its best."
