In Jewish tradition, Lag BaOmer marks a day between Pesach and Shavuot on which the community transitions from rituals of mourning to gestures of celebration. Fire is a central element of the holiday, traditionally incorporated by lighting bonfires. Hosted by Heiki Riipinen and Ariel Efraim Ashbel, this evening at Berliner Ensemble considers how social relations are organised around light and darkness. After an introduction in the Werkraum, the audience is invited to a nocturnal walk with artist Alona Rodeh, part of the practice "Night as Frontier", which she began in 2018. The walk will be adapted specifically to the area around Berliner Ensemble and lets the audience discover the effects of urbanism and light pollution and experience the politics of light and dark in public space. The event is part of The Omer Count, a citywide cycle of springtime events that explore the potential of Jewish traditions for contemporary dramaturgies.
For the night walk, we would like to ask participants to wear all black, and bring dark sunglasses and a cap.