The things Art and Basketball have in common

The performance piece “The things Art and Basketball have in common” (abb. “The
Things”), is a multi-disciplinary art work combining performance, radio, sculpture,
drawing and music. The piece is executed by a group of players/artists.

“The things”, is a show done in a basketball stadium which is divided into two parts. Its
left part is a regular basketball court and its right part is a gallery. The artists presenting
their works in the gallery (six totally) are the same players playing in a three members
group against each other. As well as the six active players the main character of the show
is its presenter which is the navigator between the two parts and the conductor of the
evening.

In addition, there will be a group of about 20 deputy actors which will perform the parts
of the radio broadcast, the cheer leaders, the ushers, etc…

The development of the piece:

The main happening of the art work is drawing inspiration from live sport events and is
similar to a basketball game , but this time, playing “performance” (or Art if you like).

While the crowd is entering the stadium (the piece is modified for a large number of
spectators), the artists/players are doing their warming up routine, directed by their coach.
Then, the light goes off and the presentation of the team is taking place. Instead of
presenting the physical characters of the players, the announcer will declare their
“artistic” attributes and their career resume’.
After the presentation is finished, the game will take place, in a four quarters mode of
about six minutes each. The end of the game will announce the winning team, which will
gain a cup sculptured especially for the event by the conductor. Then, the crowd will be
invited to the opening of the gallery exhibition and to meet the artists/players.

The main actor:

The main actor character is based on my unique ability to watch artists play basketball
and to conclude from that on their artistic abilities (in other words: give me an artist and a
sample of his work, and I will produce esthetic content concerning the artist and art).
The piece is build as a modular action divided into parts, whom the main
actor/player/artists (which are the same one) is charged of conducting, stimulating,
connecting, Disconnecting and editing as he whishes, according to the rules written and
unwritten in his head.
The different parts including in the exhibition are:
The basketball game, The exhibition of the art, the radio, and sub-parts such as food,
cheerleaders, sculptures, etc…
The main actor order of action will be:
Directing the warm up, presenting the players, judging the game through different
commentaries on art and sport, presenting the winners and opening the exhibition to the
crowd. During the game, the artist will relate to issues common to art and basket ball,
such as “the importance of the first step”, “keeping your head high”, “warming up”,
parquet vs. parkett, etc…

The radio:

“The things” will be broadcasted live on local radio, giving special interviews with the
participants and the crowd, and also commentating the game and giving a different point
of view and narration.

A few general words:

“The things” is a mega-live-art-performance show. Its future vision is to

establish an academy for art which is based on the principals of melting both sport and art
into one. The academy team will compete against other academies that fostered this
method of living and will established a “league of performance art”, that will be able to
deliver ideas about performance, life and art to a large amount of audience in a large
quantity of events and happenings. Working in the stadium as a studio, acting after
running, competing and playing are among the academy main values.

When confronting genres such as basketball, art and radio, I expect to the see
complementary contradictions that I find very interesting between:

Body Vs. Soul

Entertainment Vs. Art
Noise Vs. Silence
Modesty Vs. Bragging
Big Vs. Small
Publicity (celebritness) Vs. Success

And much more.

The simultaneous action that is contained within the on going happening, as a sign for a
vibrating model routing down to the very basics of performance art in the beginning of
the 20th century, is appearing in the role of the main actor who operates the event and
performs as a symphonic conductor.
I believe that this appearance of action upon surface, can arouse a crowd into meaningful
experiment.

Daniel Yahel