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"Perhaps the greatest psychological pain humans can feel occurs when they are denied language. The sense of frustration that builds from a voice unheard, marginalized or rendered irrelevant by the listener can be overwhelming. This is as true of the great narratives of politics and nationhood as it is in personal relations. But long periods of denial of a voice can also lead to a tremendous articulacy when it is finally allowed utterance, and often expresses itself in poetry, as we fall back in love, not only with the sentiments expressed, but with the very words we give voice to."

Steve Cramer, from critic about the play Jidariyya by Amir-Nizar-Zuabi.

Rothschild-69 is pleased to invite you to the conference Beginning .A%BC. In the Arab language, Beginning is pronounced from the root "Bda". The pronunciation of "Alef" as a language move - ment adopts to the root a different meaning, a momentary and brief sight. In Hebrew the word Bidaya sounds as Bdiya; a fictionist and imaginary story. This conference, which opens Rothschild-69 second season, at Rothschild 12, will discuss and consider the onset of the Palestinian country and of a mutual vision for our shared space. We will attempt to examine the real and the imaginary involved in this vision, using the practices of political imagination, of a common and mediated language, by shared stuttering and stammering.

Most of the seminar will be conducted in with consecutive translation to Hebrew.

The day seminar will take place on Thursday, November 11 th, between 10AM – 4 PM, at 12 Rothschild Blvd. Tel Aviv.

Program: 10:00-10:30- Reception.

10:30-10:50- Opening performance: Spokesmen - Yonatan Kunda, Neta Weiner and Anna Cohen-Yanay Yonatan Kunda and Neta Weiner will examine, dismantle, explore and reconstruct the words Beginning and .A%D E, in the Spoken Word scene which was specifically prepared for the conference. A video art by the video artist Anna Cohen-Yanay will accompany the performance. Spoken Word is a form of performative expression ranging from poetry to hip- hop, free and unbounded from language definition and committed only to the internal rhythm of the artist/creator. Yonatan Kunda and Neta Weiner – actors, musicians and poets. Members in the Jaffa Hip Hop group “System-Ali” and two of the founders of “System-Ali’s House”, where the two are working as youth guides. members in the Interdisciplinary Art Collective “Zemer Plugot”. Anna Cohen- Ynay- photographer, video artist and poet. a coordinator and guide of a woman group in a community project for photography in Jaffa and Bat Yam. a member in the Intrdisciplinary Art Collective “Zemer Plugot”.

10:50- 12:00 First Session: The linguistic space as a mental space Arabic and Hebrew - A simple metathesis of two letters distinguishes between the two languages. What is Hebrew for the Arab people and what is Arabic for the Jewish people? How is it possible to discuss cooperation and equality if in the hearing realm both languages are accompanied by negative associations and cultural prejudices? The discussion will deal with the etymologies of the words Beginning in Hebrew and .A%BC in Arabic, the investigation of the various meanings of the two and the similar slang usage in both languages. Also, the session will also question the translation and suitability of different words from the two languages under the subordination of a governing hegemony.

Mediator: Eyal Sagi Bizawi - Cultural and Cinematic researcher. Teaches Cinema at Sapir College, and works as a content editor and researcher in documentary films. Currently, Bizawi is directing his debut documentary film "Arab Movie".

Speakers: Dr. Mahmoud Kayyal - Senior lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Studies at Tel Aviv University and the Department of Learning, Teaching and Instructing at the University of Haifa. Kayyal is a Member of the Arabic language Academy. He has served as linguistic editor for numerous translations from Hebrew to Arabic. Raji Bathish - Writer and film critic. A certificated scriptwriter from the Idit S hchori scriptwriting school in Tel Aviv. Bathish is part of the young Palestinian literature leaders. Dr. Yonatan Mendel – a project coordinator in the Mediterranean region at the Van Leer Institute, Jerusalem. His doctoral research at Cambridge University dealt with the politics of teaching Arabic in Jewish schools in Palestine/ between the years 1935-1985. Asma Agbarieh-Zahalka – is a member in the leadership of WAC – Workers Advice Center, the editor of the site "Al Sabar" – the Arab version of Etgar Magazine. Holds a B.A. from Tel Aviv University in Arab literature and Education.

12:00-12:30 - recess.

12:30-13:45- Second Session: The Political Imagination This session will offer active and concrete possibilities for real change, by allowing to imagine different fabrications, at least for now. The rationale behind this lies in the assumption that there is a direct link between the visual object as perceived by us, and the possibility of its realization in every-day reality. In this session one's imagination will become crucial in establishing a different reality and building a conceptual infrastructure in which the presenters will become actors, activists and story tellers. Can the day seminar turn into a starting point in itself? Is it possible to produce conditions under which conceptual options that did not exist before, but will continue to be afterwards?

Mediator: Noam Segal - Curator and art space director of Rothschild-69 at Rothschild 12. Segal is working on her doctorate in the department of Hermeneutics and Culture at Bar Ilan University. Her research deals with communal perceptions and societal attitudes that arise from installations works.

In this session three alternative histories will be presented, followed by a discussion. Among the presenters:

Potential History - photocopied documents, The term "Potential History" will be presented by Ariella Azoulay by reviewing photos from the time of Mandatory Palestine. Potential history is an effort to reopen the past, not only to discover what we did not know but in order to re-tell it, using a civil language, so that a different future can be imagined through it. Ariella Azoulay is head of the research group Photo – Lexic, the Minerva Center for the Humanities at Tel Aviv University. Azoulay lectures on visual culture and political philosophy; she is a curator and documentary film director.

United States of Israel and Palestine – Archeological realism and utopian fantasy Beyond the logic of separating the "here" and "there", geography is stretched, and so for instance Uganda and Israel come together from the story of Zionism, but also from the simple fact that the sand on the beach here is part of Africa. Barbet Schroeder's General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait (1974) in which the Ugandan ruler composed the soundtrack, turning the Ugandan gaze onto Israel – Amin looks over a military exercise simulating the conquering of the Golan Heights from Israel. The film opens the door to reversing identities that derives from the logic of separation, and even the complete cancellation of two binary options. Joshua Simon is a curator and a writer. Co- editor of “Maayan – a periodical dedicated to poetry, literature and ideas”, “Maarvon (Western)- a new magazine for film”, and of “The New & Bad - dedicated for art”. Simon is a research associate at the Vera List Center at The New School, New York.

Yaffa - Urban Vision on the Mediterranean East Coast What will happen to the urban area of Tel Aviv- Jaffa after connecting to the continual Middle East? How many days of sailing will it take to reach Tunisia for vacation? And would it be better to reach Beirut by car or by train? What will happen to the shared music scene? The Beirut- Cairo railway as a cultural line, will invite to travel in the realm of time - space on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, between past, present and future, discovering the hidden urban treasures of the region. Muhammed Jabali is an upcoming writer. Jabali has produced cultural and space events, he is a social and political activist in Jaffa and throughout the Palestinian diaspora.

13:45-14:15 - recess.

14:15-14:40- Alternative history and imagined future - two films and four creators Screening of the Video works: The Truth, 2003, 15 min. Scandar Copti and Rabia Buchari Two artists become tourist’s guides in their city, Jaffa . They offer a completely fictional narrative explaining the history of various sites that are far from being tourist attractions. Thus, an alternate history is fabricated in order to justify present problems. Scandar Copti Is a screenwriter and film director. Together with Yaron Shani Copti created the movie "Ajami" (2009) which was nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Foreign Film. Rabia Buchari is an artist and musician; he composed the music for the film "Ajami" for which he won the Ophir Award.

The Jewish- Arabia country, 2007, 4 min. Itamar Rose and Yossi Atia In 2020 there will be an Arab majority in the State of Israel. One of the predictions is that a bi–national state will arise on the area of the Land of Israel. Itamar Rose and Yossi Atia went out to and Tira in order to prepare for the new state, including the design of a new flag and the selection of a common enemy and deprived minority. Yossi Atia holds a B.A. in literature from the University of Tel Aviv. He teaches Cinema at "Ironi Alef" high school for the arts in Tel Aviv. Itamar Rose holds a law degree from The Hebrew University. Rose established the protest movement "Green Line - students set the border." Together, the two, also known as "The Israeli Borat", create short satirical films that deal with the surreal reality we live in.

14:40-16:00 Third Session: A Mutual Artistic Space Is it possible to create a collaborative art scene for Israeli and Palestinian Art? The power of art is in its ability to offer options for a new and different reality; politically, culturally or economically. Art creates an arena of change that evokes the viewer to various conceptual options that will in turn lead into action. In this field the artist becomes an actor, an actor performing an action. This action can produce a different past in order to shape a different future.

Mediator: Ronit Yedaya - a writer and head of the writing department at "Minshar" College, has established the art department in the school. Previously, Yedaya served as head of the art department in "Oranim" College.

Speakers: Raafat Hattab - A Video installation artist and a photographer. A graduate of Beit Berl, School of Art. Active in political and gender movements, and a member of the artists group that manages the Alfred Gallery. Rabia Buchari - Artist and musician, he composed the music for the film "Ajami" for which he won the Ophir Award. Manar Zuabi - Installation, performance and video artist. Zuabi has a B.A. in physical education from Wingate University and a B.A. in art from Haifa University. One of the founders of the Alternative School "Message" (process) in Nazareth Rula Khoury - Curator, her work ranges from performing arts to teaching and education. Khoury holds an M.A in Art History from Haifa University and she works with several international organizations on strengthening the culture and the arts in the Arab sector. . At the end of the conference those who are interested in signing their passport with the Palestinian state stamp, will be able to do so, by participating in the work of Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar. In the project Live and Work in Palestine, Jarrar offers to stamp the passport of passersby's. The project will be shown during Berlin's seventh Biennale. Those who are interested should bring their passports.

Admission is Free of Charge Please RSVP at: [email protected] We will be happy to see you, Noam Segal - Curator and director Developing team: Keren Goldberg, Eyal Sagi Bizawi, Dafna Bareket and Muhammed Jabali

www.rothschild69.co.il // [email protected]