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“Lies & Falsehoods” isn’t a bad header for a cultural event these days. In an era of fake news, of politicians dispensing all manner of “factual” declarations designed solely to serve their personal interests – not that there’s much new there, it’s just that the hi-tech means for dissemination are now more efficient – it is intriguing to see the Jerusalem Design Week take up the theme and run with it.
With a debutant curatorial team in place, the festival was always likely to venture into previously uncharted areas. And so it has come to be. This year’s bash, the 12th edition, takes place at its regular berth in the majestic, evocative building and sprawling grounds of Hansen House (June 22-29).
The incoming curators Sonja Olitsky and Dana Benshalom, together with artistic director Dr. Jeremy Fogel have struck out for new aesthetic vistas across a broad sweep of exhibitions by Israeli and foreign artists, along with installations of various kinds and a host of performances.Artistic exhibits in Jerusalem showcasing lies and facts
In their program notes, Olitsky and Benshalom state, unequivocally, that since time immemorial we have had our work cut out for us to discern the truth from all the noise around it tailored to deceive, even when we had it good.
“The lying and deceiving serpent was with us as early as Eden,” they write, “and continues to whisper in our ears even now – long after we were cast out. Lies and falsehoods have accompanied us since the dawn of history, if not earlier, as evident by the numerous trickster gods and deceitful spirits of the ancient world: Loki in Norse mythology, Anansi in the tales of the Ashanti people of West Africa, the Monkey King Sun Wukong in Chinese mythology, Iktomi in the traditions of the Lakota tribe of the great plains of North America, and others.”
That is quite a cast of mighty characters, across an expansive cultural, geographic and temporal spectrum. But how is popping along to Hansen House supposed to lift the veil of vested propaganda interests from our bewildered eyes?
Surely, the very word “design” suggests the existence of an agenda, an intent to lead us by the nose to some preconceived end game, calculated to deliver some (commercial or other) gain. The curators are aware of the dichotomous element inherent in the profession.
“The designer’s work oscillates between reality and fiction. On the one hand, there is the constant expectation to produce a dazzling spectacle, the constant longing for beauty, and the impetus to generate desire in order to maximize profits.”
No surprises there but, it seems, healthier dynamics are afoot.
“On the other hand, current design practices have been focusing more and more on establishing transparency, building trust and taking responsibility. Is the act of design fundamentally a manipulative concealment of truth? Can it help promote transparency, honesty and authenticity? And if so, how?”
The event at Hansen House may shed a little light on that, as per the curators’ declaration of programmatic intent.
“The 2023 Jerusalem Design Week sets out to examine and celebrate the designer’s role in these contexts through works that explore the importance of illusions by concealing, deceiving and creating parallel realities, as well as through works that deal with disclosure and honesty by examining the possibility of truth and authenticity in the face of widespread lies and falsehoods.”
That sounds like a tall order, but Olitsky and Benshalom have put in the requisite spadework.
