THE MUSLALA PROJECT IS ABOUT CREATING PUBLIC ART WITHIN AND BETWEEN JERUSALEM’S MANY BORDERS

Muslala is a community of artists and craftspeople who live and thrive on the rich soil of Jerusalem.

Our goal is to nurture and grow a sustainable and flexible community that is sensitive and enables meaningful connections between one and oneself, between one and his community, and between one and the Earth.

Muslala is a greenhouse for initiatives that take place at the intersection of art, society, and sustainability.

We believe art and creativity have the power to make a sustainable change; we question the role of social art and the artist, both within the urban space in general and Jerusalem in particular.

Our arms are open and our heart is beating.

And in different words…

The Muslala group operates on the premise that the power of art and creativity can alter ways of thinking, and the conduct of both society and the individuals that constitute it. The work we do is meant to promote the transformation of Jerusalem into an open and creative society in which every person is enabled to express and fulfill himself or herself. 

We believe the art is the only multi-cultural and international language, and thus must be made accessible; it is a communicative and key tool in establishing effective dialogue between people, groups, communities, and nations. 

The Terrace’s Goals:

The Terrace is a creative lab for sustainable urban revival whose goal is to turn the existing building into a sustainable and thriving mecca. We aim…

…TO BECOME A NEW KIND OF PUBLIC SPACE:

The Terrace is envisioned as an inspiring leader in environmental innovation, as well as artistic and community-related aspects. The Terrace is the home of the Muslala community, whose main activities revolve around strengthening the connection between humans, the environment, and our community. 

…TO BECOME THE MAIN ANCHOR POINT IN THE CLAL BUILDING REVIVAL PROCESS:

Originally, the Clal building was intended to be a “spiral street”. In time, however, it was discovered that there were major planing issues that prevented the building from serving its initial purpose: to become the beating heart of the city’s economy. The choice to position the Terrace at the top of the spiral staircase was the result of the realization that, were more people to come to the Terrace— and in order to do so, climb through the whole building– the building would become the commercial center of Jerusalem. 

…TO GENERATE A ROOFTOP CULTURE:

The Terrace is situated on top of the biggest roof in the city center of Jerusalem; it thus became a natural source of inspiration regarding roof maximization. In an urban reality of condensed cities where residents strive for a high quality of life, the role of rooftops should be to function as the city’s new ground level— an alternative “Earth”. 

• Aspire for economic independence by establishing self-income

• Strive to be a network of people who share a vision and collaborate effectively out of passion, and both personal and collective responsibility for the joint creation

• Continue to be a pioneering cultural body in Jerusalem that combines art, sustainable thinking, and community 

SHALOM!

Muslala is a Jerusalem community of creative people, bringing artists, social activists, educators and entrepreneurs together. 

Members share the fundamental belief that art and creativity can bring about sustainable change. We are active in Jerusalem’s public spaces— particularly in the city center. 

We have been working in the city and with its inhabitants since 2009, serving as a greenhouse and home for projects in the spheres of art, society and sustainability, and as a platform for members and others in all areas of creativity. 

Much of our daily activity takes place in the terrace, where we host many special events during the year that are usually in collaboration with other cultural bodies. 

MUSLALA IS AN OPEN CREATIVE COMMUNITY, AND YOU ARE SINCERELY INVITED TO JOIN US.

 REGISTER FOR OUR NEWSLETTER, GIVE US A “LIKE” ON FACEBOOK, OR JUST COME AND VISIT TO SEE FOR YOURSELF!

Core Team:

Audit Committee: Moomi Illouz, Aviv Orenstein, CPA

Members: Oron Elior, Eyal Levitt, Eldar Buzaglo, Ella Gill, Andrei Peshnicki, Guy Cohen, Dina Yogev, Danny Kinreich, Yossi Ode, Matan Israeli, Matan Pinkas, Nadav Oren, Nili Perlmutter, Natan Landau, Linda Natan, Eliza Ashkenazi, Ram Ozri, Shmulik Twig

Founders of Muslala (2009): Guy Briller, Matan Israeli, Ram Ozeri, Lal Klein, Yochai Shalom Haddad

Team Bios: 

Matan Israeli- Co-manager and Founder of Muslala (NP organization) since 2009, as well as the curator of the organization. An artist and creator, Matan lives and works in Jerusalem. He graduated with a B.F.A from Bezalel, and curated projects in Mekudeshet, the Israel Festival, and more. He is the winner of the Ministry of Culture Young Artist award (2013).

Daphna Yalon– Co-founder of The Terrace and an earth- based artist, Daphna is the coordinator of Adamahi center at The Terrace and head of the community field in Muslala. She graduated with a B.F.A from Bezalel (Class of 1995) and has an M.F.A from Tasmania, Australia University (2007). Her work has been exhibited in many places within Israel and around the world.

Nili Parlamuter- Administrative Manager of the organization since 2013, Nili has extensive experience working in NP organizations in Jerusalem (Hazira- performance art arena, Zik NP organization, Synapse etc.). She is also an artist, painter, and book designer in self-publishing.

Dany Kinreich- An artist, dancer, and a man of Jerusalem culture, Dany is a member of a dance group made up of the Kol Atzmotai Tomarna School (“Othermove”) alumni. He has a diploma in Philosophy from the Shalem Academic Center, is a curator of bizarre Youtube videos, and is Coordinator of Muslala’s Terrace. Formerly a freelance artist in the Jerusalem cultural community, Dany took part in a variety of local festivals and events. He later served as the Cultural Coordinator of the Tower of David museum and was responsible for many successful events.

Eyal Levitt: Owner of the company, Culture and Art Productions, Eyal is a musician, entrepreneur, a man of culture, and a Jerusalem producer. In the past, he founded and managed the club “Bar Mikveh”, managed the first station complex operating company, and produced and artfully managed a variety of events within the cultural world of Israel and Jerusalem in particular. Born and raised on Nevi’im Street in Jerusalem, today Eyal lives in Beit Zayit. 

Ella Gil- Coordinator of Gag Eden Center, a research and demonstration center for urban agriculture and green technologies that provides tools for everyday sustainable living. Ella joined Muslala in 2015 and has a B.A in Biology and Environment. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in urban design, and has completed a permaculture course.

Nadav Oren-  Operational Manager at The Terrace and Muslala’s Landscape Engineer. He has played an active role at The Terrace in various projects, and is an independent gardener. Nadav is very committed to The Terrace and to its existing potential for research and urban innovation. He is also Co-planner in The Terrace’s development process.

Yossi Aud- Coordinator of the biodynamic beekeeping center, which was established in order to restore the missing bees back to the city through natural-biodynamic beekeeping, Yossi has worked as an environmental, social, educational and business entrepreneur for over 30 years. He has served as a partner in leading, founding and managing national public projects, as well as NP Organizations that deal with environmental, social, and educational issues. Yossi is also a teacher at the anthroposophic school, Maayan. He gives lectures and workshops on biodynamic beekeeping, and works as a teacher at David Yalin College for Education.

Guy Cohen: Actor, musician, producer, and teacher in Jerusalem, Guy has forged a strong connection to the Clal building, Muslala, and its projects in recent years, while additionally singing, playing instruments, songwriting, and composing for “Guy & I”, which continues to grow slowly but surely. Guy believes in dreaming and doing one’s share, and is currently  with the Creative Clan, a group of Jerusalem Artists. And a wish for peace. 

Oron Elior: Dancer, artist, and designer, Oron was born in 1984 and has been trying to call himself a Jerusalemite since 2008 (every day, he wonders what that name truly means). An industrial designer B.des from Hadassah Academic College, Oron lives and works in the Musrara neighborhood. 

Oron on Musrara: “It’s in the intervals between, in the glowing gray areas, in the small details. In what is and what is not. I’m glad to look at reality every day from a slightly different angle, and to get lost at least once a week. The city takes my breath away, and then knits you back together again.”

Eyal Bloch: Chairman, sculptor, and a social and educational entrepreneur. An educator and a Co-Founder of The Institute for Education, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship at David Yalin Academy, Eyal is one of the founders and leaders of Waldorf Education in Israel. In addition, Eyal is a Reccanaty for Educational Entrepreneur award-winner (2005), and Co-Founder of the “Allinpeace” program— an educational project for elementary school children who come from conflict zones. The program was chosen by the UN as one of the best peace education programs. Today, Eyal works in developing social-economy models in Israel and Africa.

Shmulik Twig: A Jerusalem artist and environmental activist since 2007, Shmulik was born in 1982 and is involved in areas ranging from art to ecology. Other interests include: rainwater collection, filming and editing videos, protecting the roof, making soap bubbles, and thinking a lot.

Shmulik on Jerusalem: “Jerusalem is a city of communities, and I was fortunate to get to know the Jerusalem art community a little bit and to take part in interesting projects that could only happen here. The fascinating human diversity that exists in the city is endless raw material for creators from various fields. At the same time, the city poses almost no easy questions on a day-to-day basis, in the aftermath of the constant encounter with the other, which puts a spotlight on you and demands constant scrutiny of principles, decisions and actions. I’m glad to have the opportunity to clarify and grapple with these questions within a community-oriented, artistic framework.” 

Nir Yogev- One of the senior business owners of  the Clal building, Nir arrived at the building the day it was founded. Owner and Manager of the music shop “Effect”, Nir is an associate in the organization and an active proponent of the positive relationships between the organization and the Clal building business owners.

Lidia Meltin- A member of Muslala since 2012, Lidia was an Administrative Manager until 2013. Since then, she has taken on the role as a member of our board. Lidia is also a cultural activist in Jerusalem and the founder of the “Bar Kayma” NP Organization— arts, music, and peace, many of the Jerusalem cultural institutes are made possible through its support.

Ram Ozri: Philosopher, economist, curator, and Jerusalem producer, Ram was born in 1980, grew up in a traditional home in Jerusalem, and continues to maintain a religious lifestyle. After graduating with honors and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, economics and political science, and obtaining a master’s degree in economics from Hebrew University, Ram worked as a journalist and wrote about the art field in addition to many other subjects. Recently, he has devoted his time to the revitalization of Jewish art in Jerusalem, and produced the Jerusalem Biennale of Contemporary Jewish art in five areas simultaneously. He believes that the world of contemporary art and the world of Jewish content are not mutually exclusive, and that the places in which they meet are fascinating worlds of their own. 

Neomi Tzur- A social activist working to improve the quality of the environment in Israel, as well as a politician and the former Deputy Mayor, Neomi was responsible for strategic planning, quality of environment sustainability, and the historic preservation of our city. She led many public protests on behalf of the environment, as well as other social fields, including one that fought urban expansion that would entail an addition of 20,000 residential units in the West Ring highway and inside of the green Jerusalem forest. In addition to her involvement at city hall, Neomi led the recycling revolution in Jerusalem, which worked to embed the city nature in the urban planning system, and nurture meaningful open spaces, such as “emek hazvaim” and the railway park. She is the Founder and Chairman of the “Green Pilgrimage”.

Chen Tamir- Curator at the CCA (Center of Contemporary Art in Israel), Chen has an M.F.A  from Bard college in curating studies, a B.F.A in visual arts, and a B.A in anthropology from the York University of Toronto.

ARTICLES ABOUT MUSLALA PROJECT

Donors and Sponsors

Permanent Donors and Sponsors:

Partners:

Thank you to all of the foundations and individuals that have supported Muslala over the years: 

Construction of the Terrace:

Carol and Larry Ryder made possible the generous donation by the Calgary Jewish community, made by KK”L-Canada together with the Jerusalem Foundation at the Galat Negev event, Calgary 2016.  

Terrace Donors: