The Contemporary Eye website, by Idit Suslik

“Sepia, Stav Struz’s creation, came to be from research of her family’s Georgian roots and within it, the body is revealed as a type of ‘map’ on which movement patterns, gender roles and the material culture of this tradition are imprinted as a reflection of the brokering between them done by the artist. Already at the start of the work, it is clear that Struz is placing herself between the past and the present, memory and interpretation: she wears a golden costume checkered with stones, on her head a covering connected to two fake braids. She performs choreographic sequences taken from the traditional Georgian battle dance (Khorumi), male in origin, which, in meeting her body, becomes “a female war dance that allows an intimate glance at the world of the warrior” (from the article). The choice to perform the first movements without music places emphasis on the physical mechanics- shoulder shaking, arm movement with clenched fists, gliding along the floor on the knees and turns throughout the space. These elements comprise the choreographic action as a string of transitions energetic physical states characterized by “a quest, an invitation, combat and victory” (from the article). At the end, it seems that Struz is imbuing the dance with another, more reflexive dimension. She removes the headwrap, lets her natural hair loose and collects the rugs and lanterns that are strewn around the space. All this, she connects to create a chain of cultural monuments that she carries with her, in her body as an inheritance and heritage. 

Sepia is the first part of the evening ‘Voices of Caucasia’, curated by Stav Struz, in which Georgian culture receives various interpretations that resonate one with the other. The second part is a photography exhibition of director and photographer Zohar Ron. The exhibition includes a series of photographs as well as a video installation, which was created as an homage to Sergei Parajanov and present shards of stylized images. In many ways, these images are an expansion of the solo presented by Struz through a visual richness composed of locations, fabrics and materials that “speak” the precise aesthetic of the stage piece. Within the exhibition there is also a live performance by the child Ahava Raviv, whose physical presence creates a continuation of the movement patterns of Struz. This pinpoints the place of the dancing body in traditional cultures as a live ornament and inspires thought on the way in which ancient heritage is taught in the familial-communal space and formed into body-knowledge passed from generation to generation.  

In the third and final section of the evening, Adi Boutrous plays vinyl records of Georgian, Caucasian, Turkish and Iranian music from the 60’s and 70’s, unifying the musical research materials into a soundscape that encompasses the cultural mosaic created by Struz.