Bury Our Weapons, Not Our Bodies!

Conceived by Yael Bartana, this public performance challenges systems of violence and displacement through a symbolic burial and a call to action. Forming a “living monument” to the end of violence, this performance includes a public procession, a burial of weapons (both literal and metaphorical), and a series of eulogies about war, peace, and democracy. Bringing together funerary tradition, military ritual, and personal testimony, Bury Our Weapons, Not Our Bodies! deepens the artist’s investigations of memory and national identity.

The performance is inspired by the work of Israeli dance composer Noa Eshkol (1924–2007). More specifically, it evokes Eshkol’s 1953 assembly performance at Kibbutz Lohamei HaGeta'ot (the Ghetto Fighters’ Kibbutz), commissioned in memorial to the tenth anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The movements are composed by Mor Bashan and Ruti Sela of the Noa Eshkol Chamber Dance Group.

Get Involved

We welcome individuals, collectives, and organizations with an interest in the subjects of this performance to join us in the public procession. Ideally, participants are available for a dress rehearsal on Friday, September 21, and the performance on Saturday, September 22. For more information, please contact us at bartanaphlauditions@gmail.com.