Sacred by nature

Everyone knows Jerusalem is a holy city, right? That might be the reason why there have been so many pilgrimages made here and, sadly, so much blood shed over it. But just in case you feel the need for another reason for the sacredness epithet, the forthcoming installment of the annual Mekudeshet (Sanctified) Festival might do the trick for you. The eighth edition kicks off on August 8, and will run through to August 28. The event, which takes place under the auspices of the Jerusalem Season of Culture, goes by the subheading of “Jerusalem-Inspired Creativity.” That, in a nutshell, is what the festival has aspired to do since its inception. The festival blurb says we will get “a program comprised entirely of original, city-specific productions,” and that “audiences will be invited to immerse themselves in artistic productions that will attempt to heal cultural, religious and political divides and challenge physical and conceptual boundaries.” That's a pretty ambitious manifesto and a laudable credo. When it comes “immersing” oneself in the nocturnal hours (11 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.), the August 9 “One Night in Atlantis” listening spectacle takes that idea literally. The free event will take place by the swimming pool of the brand new YMCA sport complex, with patrons invited to don swimsuits, block out the outside world and immerse themselves in the vibes of the fabled ancient, utopian submarine culture. The pool will be kitted out with a tailor-made sound system based on a carefully crafted echo chamber. Bathers will be able to hear the ripple of expectant voices and contribute to the overall effect as the splash of revelers and gently lapping water blend together with specially created sound installations, dance and performance art around – and deep within – the pool. Some say Jerusalem is at its aesthetic best when viewed from above street level. With that in mind, last year's festival featured a well-received rooftop tour. The 2018 reprise goes by the enticing name of “Above and Beyond – Art, Spirits and Demons on Jerusalem Rooftops,” which will operate daily August 8 to 16 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. This year's version will invite audiences up to rooftops that are usually kept under lock and key, overlook one another, and form a new urban continuum. Participants will enjoy originally commissioned, site-specific artworks that will reference the city's multiple narratives from on high and will include, among other things, an architectural journey through one of the city's seminal buildings, an expansive sculpture that reaches back into the city's distant past and fresh insights into fractured landscapes. Since the outset, the festival organizers have noted the multicultural and multiethnic makeup of the city and the need to fuse the diverse, and sometime disparate, parts. The “Dissolving Boundaries” slot was, presumably, devised with that ethos in mind. The activity will take place throughout the festival timeline, and is described as “a journey of discovery in which participants meet the people, phenomena and places that make Jerusalem a veritable laboratory for social change. The daily excursions are based on “narrated journeys” that hug the interface between documentary and performance, and will focus on generating “boundary dissolvers – real people who dissolve the city's seen and unseen boundaries as a matter of routine – to build bridges and bypass intercommunal obstacles that sometimes seem impassable.” The nocturnal outings, to be proffered in English, Arabic and Hebrew, will explore the city's artistic and cultural players and take in domains that offer “healing, knowledge and treatments from east and west, and immerse participants, temporarily, in an inspiring reality that is hard to believe.” The three-week bash will end at 8:30 p.m. on August 28, with a rousing Mediterranean groove concert courtesy of the Kulna (“all of us” in Arabic) troupe. The star-studded cast of the show includes stellar vocalists Sarit Hadad, Violet Salama and Ravid Kahalani – the latter is best known as front man of the internationally acclaimed Yemen Blues band – and Neta Elkayam, who draws from her Moroccan heritage. The show will feature solo and duet spots, underscored by the polished sound of the Jerusalem Orchestra East & West under conductor Tom Cohen. Festivalgoers will also get a glimpse of grassroots local artistic endeavors at the HaMiffal building, while dance fans should enjoy Yasmeen Godder's new solo work. Together with musician Tomer Damsky, the pair will explore the delicate pivotal point between choreography, movement research, singing, sound, live recordings and other areas of creative pursuit. And if you happen to get a mite overheated between the events, you might want to avail yourself of famed chef Assaf Granit's mobile ice-cream unit as it meanders across the city. Tickets and info: *9882, box@mekudeshet.com and www.mekudeshet.com

Sacred by nature

In case you feel the need for another reason for the sacredness epithet, the forthcoming installment of the annual Mekudeshet (Sanctified) Festival might do the trick for you.

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Sacred by nature

In case you feel the need for another reason for the sacredness epithet, the forthcoming installment of the annual Mekudeshet (Sanctified) Festival might do the trick for you.

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