Israel Festival Macho Man installation focuses on violence against women

This deliberately disturbing and thought-provoking installation by the Spanish theater group Heartbreak Hotel takes on the subject of violence against women in ways that encourage the audience to think out of the box. This Israeli production is the first time the installation has been presented outside of Spain and it will go on to adaptations in other cities around the world. 

We have all seen the news stories of women murdered by their husbands and partners and of sexual violence against females and we may think we know all we need to know. But this installation does not work through facts, rather through creating an experience that makes the viewer feel the suffering of the victims and question many basic assumptions, as well as to place the violence in a context. And, to its credit, it accomplishes this without showing a single gory image or resorting to any cheap scares and instead uses dolls, cartoons and classic art (including a painting by Botticelli) as well as victims’ testimonies to move the viewer. 

This unconventional installation truly has an impact that will last long after you leave. There is no question that many spectators will find it upsetting – it’s scary to imagine someone who is not upset by it – and the organizers emphasized that there will be a psychologist and/or social worker on hand whenever it is open so that anyone who needs to talk or needs help can get it. 

VIEWERS WEAR a headset that guides them through the exhibit. The original Spanish production has been adapted into Hebrew by Maya Buenos. The show mixes the testimony by one actress, the Russian-born Anna Stephan, about what it meant to her to be called a whore by her father and how frightened she was by his violent outbreaks. In another room, attendees listen to the testimonies of six women who have suffered different kinds of sexual and physical violence. Another room features photos of women who have been murdered in the last few years and although I thought I would remember them all from the news, I did not and it was uncomfortable to realize that I had forgotten the names, faces and stories of most of them.

In one room, a creepy collection of garden gnomes stands, some of which have small female dolls at their feet and this off-kilter presentation is more effective than a long list of facts would be. 

In a room that features the written testimony of the British tourist in Cyprus who accused Israeli men of rape, a doll also adds a weird touch. While these men were not prosecuted, the woman’s words seemed very damning and will lead you to reach your own conclusion about how the case was handled. 

Buenos said that she had worked in collaboration with WIZO to create a database about violence against women in Israel when adapting the show from its Spanish version. In using the Cyprus rape case, she said, “I had to take the news story and make it a human story. This is a woman who could have been us.”

One of the rooms in the installation that should inspire some soul-searching from parents is a video cartoon depicting a man picking up a streetwalker, having sex with her, letting her out of his car and murdering her in a way that would cause a slow, painful death. This comes from the popular video game Grand Theft Auto and I am not sure how many parents are aware of how twisted and brutal it is. Seeing this horror as a game could certainly desensitize people – especially young people – to violence. That anyone could find this fun is scary, yet according to information provided, 90 million people around the world play this game. 

“When we talk about violence, we also have to talk about the culture that gives it legitimacy,” said Rigola, who visited Israel with the installation. “As a man, I had to ask if I am part of the problem, how I am part of the problem. And how can I change, what things can I do, even small steps. This [violence against women] is the real pandemic. And the deaths of women are the tip of the iceberg. We have to look at what led up to this.”