A participatory piece about creating a collective narrative. It premiered in March 2018 at the Sheikh Abreik Community & Arts Festival.

 

In the creation process, Doron Lev, the performer, and I created a religion called "Cycles", inspired by New Age religions and socialist concepts.

 

The piece traverses the border between workshop and performance. It explores how a collective that has agreed upon shared rituals and narratives can shape a life story and charge actions with meaning. 

 

The performance is staged as a gathering to recruit new followers, who are asked to sit in an “inner” circle on the floor. Doron introduces himself as a founder of the religion and explains the basic principles. The members of the audience start out as participants but have the option to leave the inner circle at any time and become spectators by moving back into a second circle ‒ the “outer” circle.

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Following the introduction, the Guru initiates a series of 12 increasingly demanding “rituals”, which deepen the level of participation and self-exposure of the members. These rituals challenge socially accepted conventions, confronting the participants with the challenge of giving up a familiar narrative.

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Writer & Director 

Adi Weizman

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Co-writer & Performer 

Doron Lev

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Photographer

Pino Weizman

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