Artist Organized Art Non-Profit Works With Artists & Institutions To Support Artist Organized Media, Events & Cultural Education By Strategic, Collaborative & Financial Means

Back in USA from Cambio Constante 4.
The best artist organized show that I ever attended
I posted a short and chaotic report from it few days ago.
It was chaotic because I was out of my mind
The daily dose of suspended REALITY as well as sleep deprivation helped to achieve the altered state of mind (shining)
I can say, that Symbolic Order was suspended and you existed in close proximity to Imaginary and Real (Lacan).


The show took place in the Monastery Veruela
This place is an energy vortex created by 600 years of praying.
The energy is so dense, you can slice it with knife.
It is not haunted, but you can see ghost if you wish so.
I did at least.

It helped, that all the artist sites where within the walls of monastery.
Concentrated, compressed and within a short walk.
No reason to bus people in and out as it happened in the past.

Everything was possible there, the pure potential
You would come with an idea and you would see it happened within 12 hours.
Time and space continuum
The Howard Hughes’s (to be nowhere and everywhere in the same time)
There was no resistance, pure levitation
It turned up for me in a form of workshops with our assistants
Many years ago I have some training with the Grotowski Theater.
It came back with vengeance in a form of impro group performances.
The workshop formula which involved drumming and voice exercises works well in every improvised situation.
In the lack of hi-tech gear the lack is a plus.
The biggest success?
The day before the end of the show, the assistants created their own performance and invited me to take part in it.
They came up with a completely sound and symbolic piece which included a large 3D installation.
This was for me a real payoff and satisfaction.
They were not even students of art school and only few of them spoke English.
If this can happen, there is a ray of hope for all of us.

Joshua Selman performing ‘Personal Effects’ at Shelter 209 in Tel-Aviv Israel, 1995

In 1995 I performed Personal Effects at Shelter 209 in Tel-Aviv. Working with Tamar Raban was a high point of my experience with Israeli art culture and with my time at Construction In Process. The Shelter 209 resource was exemplary of artist organized art as is Tamar’s commitment. Thank you for that experience Tami.

August 2, 2003

Dear Friends,
In the early morning hours of June 24th the public building in which Performance Art Platform was situated burned down completely. The five-story structure completely collapsed, leaving no physical evidence of our ever having been there and of our fifteen years of activity, both in Shelter 209 and, in the past two years, at our new Performance Art Platform.


After the initial shock, we, the members of the ensemble and I, have decided to make the best we can of the state of events, by renewing our creative activity as soon as possible. We are currently seeking a new venue to work in, as well as funds with which to replenish our supplies, including the Performance Arts Archives we had started to put together, both Israeli and international, documentation of all of Shelter 209, including Dan Zakhem’s performances, etc.


So, we wanted to let you all know the situation we’re in. Also, if there happen to be any bits of documentation of any of our work that you may have and could send us a copy of, or press clippings that are relevant to us (all of that has been burned down too) please let us know. We are, of course seeking any aid in restarting our activities, so any ideas and suggestions would be highly appreciated.


I am currently preparing a new project with our ensemble of ten inter-disciplinary artists, including Israeli Jews and Palestinians, which deals with the parallel historical narratives in neighboring co-existence.

Looking forward to collaborating with you again soon,
Tamar Raban

Our new postal address is:
Shelter 209 – Performance Art Platform
P.O.B. 6747 Tel Aviv 61067
E-mail: miklat@zahav.net.il Tel: 972-3-6812091 Mobile: 972-54-995580

Amber has brought this to my attention: “In former times if you couldn’t organize art here, you could go across the street. Now there is no street.” [Bloomberg has put a price on New York’s sidewalks. How far will his selling of public space go?] Note the homogenizing of public culture to distill a uniquely private benefit.