Vertical Partition #2 - SPACE, Huis van Bourgondië (Maastricht, NL)

As a part of the peace negotiations, before the breakout of the second Intifada in 2000, Israel presented a new peace plan in which a Palestinian state is set up. The plan does, however, have two striking elements: the air space above the Palestinian state and the ground below it will remain under Israeli supervision so Israel keeps control of the air space and the valuable water resources under the ground. Gilad Ben Ari designed a space that examines the question of what is a viable space for action on the micro level of the individual body. A movement of a body in the space (either the performer's or the public's body) will have consequences on the environment. This means an erect body will create a disturbance in the space. The performance draws inspiration from the book Hollow Land: Israel's Architecture of Occupation by Eyal Weizman, which describes the Israeli methods to transform the landscape into a means to achieve total dominance and control.

It premièred at Serendypia festival - Galeria Miejska Arsenał, Poznan in July 2010.