 The Cave, 1993 The Cave denotes the cavern of Machpela near Hebron in West Jordan, in which Abraham, the common ancestor of Judaism and of Islam, is supposed to lie buried. According to mystical sources from Judaism, this is the entrance to the Garden of Eden; however, right up to today, Machpela has been the scene of political-religious tensions and conflicts. The American composer Steve Reich and the video artist Beryl Korot devoted a video-opera to the place and accordingly asked Israelis, Palestinians and Americans about the respective significance of Abraham in their faith. These recordings served as the basis for the music, libretto and scenography of the work. Alongside the original video-opera as performed with an orchestra, a second version arose as a video installation, which we can see here. Beryl Korot * 1945, Steve Reich * 1936, live and work in New York (USA)  Beryl Korot and Steve Reich, The Cave, 19935-channel video installation (colour, sound) installation view Düsseldorf 1994 courtesy Beryl Korot (video) and Steve Reich (music) photo: Beryl Korot
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