Can I Get a Chayah? Transcendentalism & Judeo-Arabic Culture | Hoyah, Neta Weiner & Samira Saraya

hoyah חיה- “to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out”, is an experimental electronic musician and visual artist, based in Berlin, who focuses on sampling and production techniques to create collages of musical and visual feeling. Focusing on specifically curated guidelines, hoyah's work aims to send the audience on a sonic journey, using textures, real-world sounds, and popular music themes to convey a thoughtful theme. Using a wide variety of sound sources, spanning from hip-hop drum machines to archived Judeo-Arabic recordings, hoyah strives to push the boundaries of the soundworld all whilst delivering it in an accessible form factor. The themes of hoyah's work focus on transcendentalism (particularly in Jewish culture), psychedelia, intimacy, and serenity.

This time we have the honour of welcoming two wonderful artists to tell us about their relation with transcendentalism….

Neta Weiner and Samira Saraya are an exceptional duo representing a distinctive voice in Palestinian-Israeli culture. Neta is the leader and founder of the multilingual Jewish-Arab hip-hop project System Ali, a musician and a multidisciplinary artist. Throughout the last year, "Shmuel" - a rap opera created by and starring Neta - has been sold out weeks in advance and won the Golden Hedgehog prize for best play of 2022. Neta is also responsible for the soundtrack of the much-anticipated television show "Madrase" and its theme song. His music combines intimate reflections on life with unapologetic, fierce social commentary. His texts serve unflinching truths while never seizing to move your body. In his art, Neta juggles languages and forms of expression. The lyrics combine Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, and English - four languages that are at the basis of his creation. Samira is a Palestinian-Israeli actor, writer, director, spoken word artist, and LGBTQ activist. In her early twenties, she began performing as a drag king while working as a nurse. Saraya's first career breakthrough occurred in 2011 when she landed a lead role in the booming Israeli TV show Minimum Wage. Saraya won a few awards in theater and cinema. She won the Best Script award for her short Polygraph in 2018 at TLVFest.

Saraya has a graduate degree in directing from Tel Aviv University and made her directing debut with Polygraph in 2020, which features the first openly lesbian Arab character in cinema. Weiner and Saraya have collaborated through various art, education, and activism platforms for the past decade. They shared the stage in countless concerts in Israel and abroad and led community social campaigns, educational programs, and guided tours. They were responsible for creating highly acclaimed pieces such as "Yama," which premiered at the last Israel Festival. Their connection and mutual creation are based on a deep belief in the power of cultural activism to promote change.