Brian Eno Bars Israeli Dance Company’s “Unacceptable” Use of His Music

Brian Eno Bars Israeli Dance Company’s “Unacceptable” Use of His Music

Israeli dance company Batsheva has been performing a piece called Humus that uses music from Brian Eno’s 1993 composition Neroli. The company had been scheduled to perform the piece at an Italian festival this week, but it did not take place, as Eno denied them permission to use his work after learning that the Israeli embassy was sponsoring the event, The Guardian reports. Eno has long condemned Israel in its continuing conflict with Palestine. In a letter to Batsheva and choreographer Ohad Naharin, he wrote, “I was not aware of this use until last week, and, though in one way I’m flattered that you chose my music for your work, I’m afraid it creates a serious conflict for me.” He also cited his support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS)–a campaign aimed against Israel’s occupation of Palestine–writing:

To my understanding, the Israeli Embassy (and therefore the Israeli government) will be sponsoring the upcoming performances, and, given that I’ve been supporting the BDS campaign for several years now, this is an unacceptable prospect for me. It’s often said by opponents of BDS that art shouldn’t be used as a political weapon. However, since the Israeli government has made it quite clear that it uses art in exactly that way–to promote ‘Brand Israel’ and to draw attention away from the occupation of Palestinian land–I consider that my decision to deny permission is a way of taking this particular weapon out of their hands.

He closed the letter, “As artists we should be free to choose to respond to the injustices of governments, yours or mine.” Read the full letter here.

In 2014, Eno wrote a letter on David Byrne’s website in which he compared “racist” Israel to the Ku Klux Klan. He followed that with another letter, in which he further questioned the United States’ and England’s support of Israel. Eno has also signed the Artists’ Pledge for Palestine, vowing to “support the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality,” and “to accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding, from any institutions linked to its government until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.”

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