Ark photograph (H 68 x B 100 cm) Insurance price 1000 Euros Calving trouble 2 digitally handwritten texts in English and German, each: H 28 x B 100 cm Insurance price 2000 Euros
Calving trouble is composed of Ark a photograph of Swan Vesta matchboxes digitally altered to show, not one but two swans on the lids, representing the two cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant; 2 digitally handwritten texts in English and German also tell the imagined story of the biblical Uri ben Hur, father of the artist Bezalel and son of Hur whom the Israelites murdered when, in the name of a monotheist God, he protested against their worshipping of the golden calf. In this tale at the birth of a nation, Tanya Ury’s character Uri ben Hur suspects that his son may have assisted Aaron, Moses’ brother, in the creation of the golden calf idol. Uri also points out the inconsistencies in Moses’ Law when promoting the case for murder and acquisition of another’s property in the conquest of the Promised Land. He relates how the Israelites often complained of their nomad existence with all its risks; even if their goal was a land of milk and honey, they would have preferred to return to bondage in Egypt where they had been at home for generations.
For the DVD version of Promised Land, several series of photographs taken with a drive camera function are displayed within the space of a few seconds showing photographic images of Bezalel lighting matches from a Swan Vesta matchbox, that present the Ark of the Covenant, as a Pandora’s tinderbox.
Calving trouble will eventually be composed of one or more bull calf statuettes of bronze (size undecided).
Promised Land
Information
Concept, text, performance and voice over: Tanya Ury
Text editor: Amin Farzanefar
German translation Gelobtes Land: Tanya Ury and Amin Farzanefar
Camera: David Janecek
Digital processing: Claudia Stasch
DVD edit: Rainer Nelissen
DVD image correction Pixel2motion — crossmediadesign
Bibliography
Moses and Monotheism, An Outline of Psycho-Analysis and Other Works, Sigmund Freud 1937 – 40, Vintage, The Hogarth Press UK, 2001 ISBN 0−099−42678−1
Precarious Life — The Powers of Mourning and Violence, Judith Butler, 2004 publ. Verso, ISBN 1 84467 005 8
Andreas Kilcher: The Moses of Sinai and the Moses of Egypt. Moses as Magician in Jewish Literature and Western Esotericism. In: Aries. Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism. Edited by Roland Edighoffer, Antoine Faivre and Wouter J. Hanegraaff. 4, Heft 2 (2004), S. 148 – 170. Leiden (NL)
New English Bible
Lutherbibel
Presentation
2005 (2 – 18.12.) DVD Version, group exhibition, Traum und Trauma — Zur Idee des Staates Israel in Film und Video, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (Dream and Trauma — On the Idea of the State of Israel in Film and Video) (D)
2005 (7.12) Seminar & trailer, Conference: Jüdische Frauen in Geschichte und Gegenwart (Jewish Women in the Past and Present), Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Wesseling nr. Bonn (D)
2006 (27.2) Peer Critique, trailer, Ben Uri Gallery, The London Jewish Museum (GB)
2006 (5.4.) Professional Practice Seminar with trailer, Fine Art Department, Sheffield Hallam University (GB)
2006 (6.4) Trailer presented in Seminar within Cathy Gelbin’s PhD. Conference course: Gender and Visual Arts, Holocaust Studies, Royal Holloway, London (D)
2006 (6.5. – 18.6.) Jahresausstellung (Yearly exhibition), Kunstverein Rosenheim (D)
2006 (10.5) Körperbilder (Body Images), seminar and video trailer, Kunstverein (Art Centre) Dortmund (D)
2006 (14.8) Promises: DVD projection, solo exhibition, Ben Uri Gallery, The London Jewish Museum (GB)
2006 (29.8. – 31.8.) DVD projection, group exhibition, c.sides festival, International Convention Center, Jerusalem and projection with discussion, Jerusalem Cinematheque, evening of 29.8. (IL)
2006 (6.10. – 27.10) Promised Land: 3 photographs: Beelzebularin and 2 digitally handwritten texts in English and German, Virtual Residency, Galeria Biala, Centrum Kultury, Lublin (PL)
2007 (23.3.) On the online Feminist Art Base: www.brooklynmuseum.org… audio extract (English) from Promised Land„ The Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, The Brooklyn Museum, New York (USA)
2007 (10.3.) Promised Land: Beelzebularin awarded a commendation in the International Jewish Artists of the Year Awards, Ben Uri Gallery, The London Jewish Museum of Art (GB)
2007 (11.3. – 9.4.) Group exhibition, DVD projection, Connected, opening 12 am, Jewish Cultural Days, Altes Museum im BIS-Zentrum (Old Museum in the BIS Centre), Moenchengladbach www.connected-mg.de (D)
2007 (6.11−16.12) Opening 5th November, ending 16th December, Promised Land DVD, group exhibition Diaspora and Troubles curated by Tanya Ury, Kunstbunker Tumulka, Munich (D)
www.kunstbunker-tumulk…
www.kunstbunker-tumulk…
2008 (27.1) Screening with discussion, Anadoma Film/Video-Festival (25. – 27.1), Lot-Theater, Braunschweig www.anadoma.de/ (D)
2009 (30.4−3.5) 17.30 hours — 1st May, screening of Promised Land (German version) with discussion, Limmud Festival, Werbellinsee, Jugenderholungs- und Begegnungsstätte (Youth Relaxation and Meeting Place) (D)
Publications & Press
2005 (12) Interview Isabella Herskovics, Saarländisches Radio (D)
2005 (4.12) Interview Dominik Rzepka, Radio Dom, Cologne (D)
2006 (5.2006) Image of Beelzebularin in Jahresausstellung (yearly exhibition) catalogue, Kunstverein Rosenheim (Art Centre), (D)
2006 (26.8) Interview with Aron Hadar and image: Promised Land: Beelzebularin, Ha’aretz (IL)
2008 (9) Promised Land: 3 photographs: Beelzebularin and 2 digitally handwritten texts in English and German, Virtual Residency catalogue ISBN 978−3−9812208−0−3 (D) www.virtual-residency.…
2008 (11) Beelzebularin discussed in article on Tanya Ury (in German) by Hartmut Bomhoff with image of Beelzebularin, Jüdische Zeitung (monthly), Berlin (D) article as PDF
www.j‑zeit.de/archiv/a…
2009 (1) Anadoma Film/Video-Festival, Braunschweig catalogue, discussion with Florian Krautkrämer on the video Promised Land (pdf) (D)
2009 (4) Image of Beelzebularin in Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture (USA)