German & Israeli Artists Unite

What is art? Why are we so attracted to it? What makes us like one piece over another? Is it just personal taste or do we have an interest in what the artist is trying to say? All these questions are far too profound to answer here in this one blog post…but as we've visited the SCHIR art exhibition this weekend in Tel-Aviv, we discovered the importance of discourse in the fine arts discipline. SCHIR is a young foundation which initiates and realizes projects between creative communities from Germany and Israel. Bringing together artists, exhibition institutions and other partners, SCHIR provides spaces for exchange and networking.

The recent art exhibition entitled "I am a Berliner" at the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion, TA, brings paintings by 18 contemporary artists from Berlin to Tel Aviv, some Israeli some German. The exhibition examines our multifaceted realities and raises questions on how art reacts to societal changes.

The exhibition will be open until March 24, 2012, the entrance is free and is worth visiting! In addition there are some interesting discussions with the artists this month:


24.01.12 | 8 pm
Infinite imagination: spaces in figurative and abstract painting
Artist talk with Daniel Biesold and Harald Hermann


27.01.12 | 12 pm noon
Catching the light: Formalism and structures in painting
Discussion between Berlin-based artist Michelle Jezierski and Tel Aviv-based artist Gabriella Klein

DZion - Designs from Zion

Many  people have been asking us about our name, DZion.

Firstly, the name DZion is not intended to reflect any political or religious connotations; we are an apolitical self funded business promoting home grown Israeli designers and products, without bias of ethnicity, religion or gender.

The DZion logo is a combination of two letters, the letter "D" in English and the letter "ז"(pronounced Ziyne) in Hebrew. Voiced together they wittingly articulate the word Design!

Sharing with you a more personal anecdote, I envisioned the DZion mission when I first found out I was pregnant, which at the time the song, Zion, by Lauren Hill, was endlessly played on my iPod, in my car, and I even posted it to my personal blog to note the very special period in my life.

In addition, according to Wikipedia, Zion (also transliterated Sion, Tzion or Tsion) is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem and generally for  the World to Come, a better world or a paradise to come in the future.

In Kabbalah the more esoteric reference is made to Tzion being the spiritual point from which reality emerges.

In the Rastafari movement, "Zion" stands for a utopian place of unity, peace and freedom.

For some, Zion symbolizes a longing by wandering peoples for a safe homeland. 

For others, it has taken on a more spiritual meaning—a safe spiritual homeland, like in heaven, or a kind of peace of mind in one's present life.

So combining all the pieces together, with a spiritual optimism, a personal tie and with sincere design orientation in mind, this is how the name DZion honestly came to be.

It was great sharing with you, we hope you take good care and happy holidays everyone!

Israeli Olive Associations

In an attempt to connect the Hanukkah holiday spirit with design, we found the Olive Chair, created by Israeli designers Adi Tasa and Yoav Avinoam, the perfect choice!
Hannukah…Oil…Olive…get it? :)
The Olive Chair  was created using a molded polyester-based textile which when heated forms the shape. Adi Tasa and Yoav Avinoam designed a basic structured chair but with a very unique three dimensional surface, originating a new olive shaped texture that makes you want to desperately touch, feel and sit in! Source

TLV Fashion Week Web Publicity

The Tel-Aviv Fashion Week received so much publicity we thought we may skip posting about it…But such a historical event cannot be and should not be overlooked. The international fashion week held in Tel-Aviv after 30 years is an accomplishment worthy of celebration! So here is a list of just some of the articles written about the event, read more about it: 

Exposing Tel Aviv Fashion Week – Israelity
On the front row at the inaugural Tel Aviv Fashion Week – Fashion Telagraph 
Italians impressed by Tel Aviv Fashion Week - Jerusalem Post
Tel Aviv Holds Israel’s First Fashion Week in Over 30 Years (PHOTOS) – Ibtimes
Israeli designers attract world attention – Ijn
Maybelline New York sponsors Tel Aviv Fashion Week – The Examiner
Israel Fashion Week hits the runway – Haaretz
Roberto Cavalli Shows Spring 2012 Collection At Tel Aviv Fashion ... - Huffington Post
Designer Cavalli launches Israel's first fashion week in over 30 years - Daily Mail
Roberta Cavalli Showcases Spring 2012 Collection at Tel Aviv ... - Bloginity

Re-branding Israel with Design

Five international notorious design bloggers have been touring Israel this past week, and we will finally get to meet them this evening! Dezeen, Designboom, DeTnk, Booooooom and WeHeart bloggers, were invited to Israel by Kinetis, a nonprofit apolitical social organization dedicated to generating domestic and global awareness of Israel as the creative energy capital of the world.

Seeking to re-brand Israel’s world image, 37-year-old lawyer and start-up entrepreneur Joanna Landau founded Kinetis (Kinetic Energy + Israel) in 2009. "People are not interested in Israel beyond the conflict because we haven't given them a reason to be interested” says Landau. What is needed is a paradigm shift, a change in the conversation, "What we want to do is celebrate the things that Israel has to offer that are interesting on a global level," she says for Haaretz.

One of three Kinetis projects, VibeIsrael, brings together individuals, groups, business people and bloggers to personally experience a more creative dynamic and energetic side of Israel, opening up new conversations to share online and off.  The first VibeIsrael all-expenses-paid tour, invited 5 Mommy bloggers from around the world to meet and feel the country first hand. This time, it's all about the design blogosphere! We hope the group enjoyed their busy week here in Israel. Be sure we will personally ask them about it tonight!  

As we share similar missions, DZion is excited and obliged to participate in the VibeIsrael project and is looking forward to more great initiatives by Kinetis! 

Exploring textiles, Inventing textures

It was a pleasure and a privilege meeting Tamar Branitzky, a talented eccentric Textile Designer working and creating in her studio in Tel-Aviv. A Shenker graduate of Design Engineering, Tamar explores and invents textile design techniques involving printing, hand painting, embroidery, sawing, burning and collage making sometimes all on one piece made up of layers of different types of materials. Tamar loves to combine handmade practices with industrial techniques, developing unique fabrics and textiles while offering distinctive and tailored designs to artists in various fields. Like works of art, her pieces are sold in a limited edition, until the artist creates anew!
Tamar is a promising rising star, collaborating with fashion professionals, interior designers, industrial designers and artists from all over the world, developing and creating new and innovative textiles never seen before in the market. Respectfully, her work was exhibited in the "Salone De Mobile" in Milan, April 2011 and in "Promise Design" - "Designer Days" in Paris, June 2011.


We wish Tamar lots of luck and progress to come!
Tamar's "Stained Journey" scarf collection can be purchased on the DZion website.

Sotheby celebrates Israeli design

"There's outstanding creativity and talent in Israel- the work is very fresh, original and independent " explains  Janice Blackburn, co-coordinator and curator of Sotheby's  design selling exhibitions which took place in London last May, in Tel-Aviv this Tuesday at the opening of the Tel-Aviv Museum of Arts new wing, and excitingly soon in December  in New York!

Senior vice president at Sotheby's New York, Sonya Bekkerman realized how much home-grown talent Israel has, and so visits the country around five times a year to find new design pieces. Sonya said, "We realized there’s extraordinary talent here, it’s fresh, it’s innovative, it’s really exceptional and there isn’t a platform for it. We do sell some Israeli art and Judaica in New York but we decided to give both emerging and established talent a platform at Sotheby’s.”

The Financial Times article by Nicole Swengley, quotes Mel Byars, a design historian, when he said  "Israeli design is the world's best kept secret".  Finally Sotheby gives the world the chance to discover.

Tel-Aviv Museum of Art New Wing- Opening Event

Thank you to Shiri Batsry for her personal photographs