Williams Presents Artists Gil And Moti In An Extraordinary Multimedia Event
WILLIAMSTOWN - Gil and Moti, who live and work as a duo in Rotterdam, are gay artists and Israeli immigrants to Europe. They gravitate towards creating art that concentrates on issues of difference and social coexistence and a number of Gil and Moti's recent projects attempt to bridge the divide between Jewish Israelis and Arabs.On Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 8 p.m., their work, "Laylah, the Creature Beyond Dreams, "will be performed in the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance. The duo also have invited Yossi Gutmann, an Israeli violinist and composer to perform with them. Gutmann will play his "recomposition" of the Israeli national anthem, morphing into Arabic tonalities with the Palestinian national anthem inserting itself from time to time. Tickets are $3 and reservations may be obtained at 597-2425.
In addition to this performance, there will be an exhibition of their work on campus, curated by Eva Grudin, senior lecturer in art. This will include the use of plasma screens in Paresky Center to run text and images from Gil and Moti projects. The exhibition will run until Sept. 10 and be shown from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Additionally there will be stills and text posted around campus, which illustrates Gil and Moti's project, "Available for You, Copenhagen, 2008," a two-month project through which the duo offered free and helpful services to anyone in the Arab community who might need them to cook, clean, run errands, etc. Williams College is the first American site to show a selection of video and stills from "Available for You." The artists also will make themselves available to the public in a couple of informal sessions where they will discuss their work. On Sunday, Sept. 7, Gil and Moti will discuss this project with the public. The event is free will be held in the Multicultural Center at 7:30 p.m.
Their "Gay Wedding Project, 2001" and "The Dating Project, 2003-08," which centers on their search for an Arab lover with whom they could fall in love and who would move in with them, will be the topic of discussion on Saturday, September 6, at 3 p.m. in Paresky Center, room 220. This is also free and the public invited.
These events are sponsored by the W. Ford Schumann '50 Endowment for the Arts, the Gaudino Fund, and numerous college academic and administrative departments.
