Sand turns into magic on the stage in front of your eyes
Ilana Yahav’s sand art is spectacular in its own right, but it becomes a breathtaking vision when it is created and evolves on stage in front of a live audience!
On a backlit sand table, Ilana “makes her magic” as a video camera positioned above her conveys the emerging creation live to a giant screen watched by a mesmerized audience who bond with her persona through her creations.
In her performances, Ilana draws the best of her creations, and upon request, creates new works tailored to the spirit of the event.
Sand art is an intricate and delicate art form where there is no room for error. Every grain of sand is seen on the screen. Ilana therefore presents flowing, smooth and sure movements so that the creations pour out from them in a natural and graceful manner.
“In these performances”, she says, “I don’t have the luxury of making mistakes.
I cannot stop, hesitate, delete or patch up anything. I have to go with the music. I have to keep up with the beat. I use emotions like a paintbrush. Movements are similar to a caress, sometimes totally blind, because I don’t see the result while creating the image; I see it only after I have taken my hand from the table, and then I am already in the middle of the next piece…”
The experience is further heightened by the musical soundtrack which is specially adapted to the nature and content of the creation. Ilana compares it to the act of dancing, her hands moving in line with the rhythm of the music. The resulting effect is both magical and astounding at the same time.