Vered Dror | Israel

Vered Dror is a visual artist using a range of artistic mediums, combining performing arts. She was born in Tel Aviv, studied and lived in Jerusalem and now have returned to Tel Aviv. In her work Vered Dror explores the relationship between the Public Sphere and the Private people acting their life within it, by playing with the borders between the two and with the way they feed each other.

She often chooses to focus on the 'simple' people, whose life lie on the ever changing border, which moves between private and socio-political spheres. Their identity is constantly forming and reforming through resistance and acceptance.

These themes can be found in her works, from the latest "Private Home" in which she stamps 3D Brielle graffiti naming and marking "private " sleeping areas of homeless people, to "Street Tales" (Neighborhood Projects, Train Theater, Jerusalem, 2006) were different places in a neighborhood were newly named according to inhabitants private stories and memories of the area. In "Balcony Tales" (San Salvario mon Amour, Torino, 2005) Inhabitants of one building, were being connected through their balconies by laundry lines and baskets, and were invited to exchange memories, foods etc.

Project: Souvenirs de Carmella ("Carmella's Souvenirs")
Category: Performance, Video
Period: September 2007
Event: Art Residency (Fronte[i]ras 07 Meeting)

A fiction character of an Israeli merchant arriving in the village, opening a small souvenir stand in the center of the village, selling souvenirs- postcards, key holders, little flags. The images on the souvenirs are of the village itself, of people living there and different moments that were captured in the eye of the camera. The Israeli merchant will speak to her clients in her own mother tongue, which is Hebrew, a language, that is a kind of Gibberish to the people of the village. The public does not know the merchant is an actor.

In my work I wish to touch the people of Nodar, to question and express the fear of loosing their tradition and the will and need to preserve it.

By placing a non-Nodar, non-Portuguese, non-European merchant to sell memories of Nodar, I wish to create a space of extreme expression of the situation and conflict the inhabitants of Nodar are experiencing. The character - a very out going sales woman, represents both the immigrant who does not belong and does not speak the language of the area and of the intruder, the one that enters the private space of the village and threatens its known orders.

It is interesting for me to see in which way the people of Nodar will respond to the merchant.

1. Videos of the installation presented in the final exhibition of the Fronte[i]ras 07 meeting:
(Note: You can see both videos at the same time, the way they were presented in the installation):

2. Project's photo selection (art residency, public presentations and exhibition):

3. Vered Dror's notes about the Project:

Carmella's Souvenirs
(Thoughts about the Traveling Jew)
By Vered Dror

Carmella appeared one day, exactly the way she is today, with a name and behavior.

Carmellais an Israeli Immigrant, a traveling merchant that goes through places and villages, meets the locals, takes their photos, and from the materials she collects, she creates souvenirs, packed memories –Postcards, magnets, key holders, necklaces etc. Carmella appears in all the souvenirs she creates.  She then goes back to the village center, to sell those souvenirs to the locals in the price of a local song (Portuguese in this case) for each souvenir.

All communication – meeting, taking photos and selling the souvenirs, is done only in Hebrew.

"Souvenirs de Carmella" speaks about the need to be understood in your own language; about the possibility to communicate without having a common spoken language; about the role of the foreigner entering the society, demanding attention and recognition in his culture, saying 'I am part of this place the same way you are'.

In many ways Carmella represents me and my relation to Europe. As coming from a place which sometimes seems to be nothing but borders, I find my self many times wanting to go out to a freer space. For this purpose, Europe functions as a Promised Land. Not too far from home, open, cultural, relaxed, a place where you are not obliged to fight over everything. At the same time I do not agree to be in a position of 'A Foreigner'. I do not want to feel that someone is doing me a favor, letting me stay, asking me to forget about my language, my culture. Like Carmella, I want to be able to be part and still keep my dignity and self respect.

I would like to say a few words about Language.  The Hebrew word for Language is Safa, which also means 'An edge'. Our language is an edge, a border, a form in which we act and through which we understand the world. It is the muscles tension created in our mouth and in our body. Our language is the sounds and resonances through which we express our selves in this world. Our mother tongue touches our deepest understandings about the world.

"Souvenirs de Carmella" was created in two places:

1. Nodar- a small rural village (30 inhabitants), in the area of S. Pedro do Sul. The residency was settled in Nodar.

2. Castro Daire- the main village in the area. About half an hour drive from Nodar.

The work had 4 stages: collecting the images, creating souvenirs, selling the souvenirs and finally creating a video of the work.

Collecting the Images

"Souvenirs de Carmella" had a clear structure yet many decisions had to be taken according to the encounters with the people. The work in Nodar was basically happy. As the inhabitants knew Luis and Rui Costa ('Binaural'- the organizers of the residency), they expected different actions in the village. The people of Nodar accepted Carmella's strangeness and gladly cooperated with her.

The people of Castro Daire where suspicious towards Carmella, many thought she was trying to fool them. Some related to her as if she was the fool.

Selling the Souvenirs

The selling in Nodar was part of a few artistic actions taking place on the river bank, in a sunny Sunday afternoon. The atmosphere was safe and happy. Still, the people of Nodar, and especially the women, co operated much more than I expected. They were happy to join in and 'play' the 'game' I offered. The women bought many souvenirs in the price of a Portuguese song for a souvenir. Something beautiful happened when one  of the women started to sing and the others joined her. A song was chasing a song and it felt like the women were thirsty for this opportunity to sing again, together, on the river bank. A feminine custom that existed until a few years ago, before laundry machines and televisions entered every house.

Selling in Castro Daire was different. Carmella went there on the market day. In the main garden only 2 girls sang songs and all the rest of the people were suspicious.

In the market itself, where they already knew Carmella, though were suspicious about her when she was collecting the images, they now were glad to see her. The trust allowed them to open. One woman sang a song and then another song for her friend who said she cannot sing, another woman danced, a man whistled and one told a poem.

The matter of the singing was not clear from the beginning and only came while working. I wanted to use the selling as an action of exchange. To enable the buyers to make an action that exposes their own private memories. I thought to offer a few options but the crucial border of language demanded clarity. After hearing one woman singing, I knew this was the only thing I wanted.

It was interesting to experience the possibility to understand each other without speaking the same language and  to feel the places that are unreachable without a common language.

Trust opens and allows to listen through more senses than the hearing sense.

Creating the Video

Wanting to show both feelings of belonging and of loneliness in Carmella's life I chose to create 2 videos running simultaneously, endlessly looping.

On the right screen Carmella is seen leaving the village, carrying her suitcase in which she was selling her souvenirs. Walking slowly, climbing the road, she goes until disappearing from the sight, only to appear again leaving the village. Again and again, endlessly leaving.

On the left screen Carmella is seen at 'work'. She is in constant contact with people, talking, communicating, taking photos, and then selling her/their souvenirs, listening to the songs, saying good bye, leaving. Also in this video, the loop forces her to arrive again, to communicate, to sell, to leave. Again and again and again.

Final Notes

I thank the brave people of Nodar and Castro Daire for allowing themselves to open up.

I thank Binaural for a constant, full hearted support.

I thank all the other artists at the residency that helped in any way they could. The work was intense and I couldn't have done it alone.

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