An immersive concert, a composition based on the menstrual cycle, electronic birdsong, an exploration of free will and the influences that shape it, and a workshop examining how movement, attention and group improvisation create synchronization and a shared human field are only some of the subjects featured at TRANSMEET, a festival connecting science and art.
The festival will take place at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History from November 13 to 15 for the third time.
Across the three days, the program will feature music, dance, video art and other works developed through dialogue with scientific research, alongside lectures and workshops led by university researchers.
Six works created especially for the festival will premiere in 2025. They include “Sound Fiction,” an immersive concert by Matan Daskal and Tom Love featuring musicians and speakers specially designed for the performance; “HaHolmot” by choreographer Efrat Rubin; and harpist Adia Godlevsky’s “Machzor Hadash,” based on records of the menstrual cycle collected over four years.
The festival’s final day will feature several productions for children, including the Train Theater’s “HaOsef Hachi Hachi,” “Noa’s Secret of Infinity” and “Brain and Music – A Love Story.”
Alon Sapan, CEO of the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, said the festival offers an opportunity to make science accessible through an artistic experience. He invited the public to attend and emphasized that the program also includes special productions for children and families.
Festival founders Tal Yizrael and Sharona Florsheim said the need for encounters between art and science is more vital than ever and serves as an essential force for understanding and shaping reality. They added that the 2025 program places particular emphasis on creating a living dialogue between artists, researchers and visitors that can continue to resonate beyond the festival itself.
Festival Performances and Events
The program offers a broad range of events, each connecting art and science in a different way and opening a creative and compelling world. Full details on every activity are available here.
Thursday, November 13
Sound Fiction (Premiere) An immersive performance by Matan Daskal and Tom Love connecting the musicians with speakers built especially for the concert. The experience examines the boundaries of sound, space and design through an artistic and scientific dialogue about new music technologies. The performance will be accompanied by a conversation with Dr. Lior Arbel, a researcher of music and musical instruments. When: Thursday, November 13, at 19:30 and 22:00.
A Hymn to Flight and Language (Premiere)
Ruth Wieder Magan and Or May create a compelling dialogue between human language and birdsong through voice, singing and live electronic processing. The performance explores the boundaries of the human voice and the bioacoustic world through an artistic and scientific connection.
When: Thursday, November 13, at 20:00 | Friday, November 14, at 11:00.
HaHolmot (Premiere) A multidisciplinary work by choreographer Efrat Rubin combining dance, animation and live music. Inspired by sleep and dream cycles, the performance creates a delicate experience between body and consciousness, inviting audiences to move between wakefulness and imagination. When: Thursday, November 13, at 20:30.
Live Sound Laboratory – Ways of Listening Musica Nova Ensemble presents an interactive musical experience inviting the audience to explore the act of listening and discover hidden layers of sound, frequency and perception. When: Thursday, November 13, at 19:30 and 21:30.
Lecture Session: Thought and Matter – How Decisions and Experiences Shape Who We Are A meeting between Prof. Liad Mudrik, a consciousness and brain researcher, and Prof. Yuval Ebenstein, a chemist and DNA researcher, examining the relationship between experience, matter and free will. Together, they offer a new perspective on how the brain and chemistry shape the sense of self. When: Thursday, November 13, at 20:00.
Lecture Session: Metamorphosis at the Meeting Point of Curiosity, Art and Science A discussion of processes of change in nature, artistic creation and scientific research, featuring Prof. Yasmine Meroz, Liat Segal, Prof. Oren Harman and Prof. Ofer Feinerman. The session examines how curiosity and creativity lead to discovery and new collaborations between scientists and artists. When: Thursday, November 13, at 21:30.
Video Art Screenings A collection of short video works exploring the meeting point between art, technology and science through changing worlds of image and sound. When: Thursday, November 13, from 19:30 to 23:00.
Friday, November 14
Machzor Hadash – Adia Godlevsky (Premiere) A musical work for harp, voice and electronics based on records documenting the menstrual cycle over four years, transformed into a living score between body and sound. When: Friday, November 14, at 10:00 and 12:00.
Inside the Night of the Skull – Tal Gur (Premiere) A musical and poetic performance developed through dialogue with brain and artificial intelligence researchers, exploring memory, forgetting and the connections between science, poetry and emotion. When: Friday, November 14, at 10:00 and 12:30.
Movement Workshop – BeGuf Rabim Noam Carmeli and Dr. Nir Ofek lead an experiential research journey in which movement, attention and group improvisation create a new form of human synchronization. When: Friday, November 14, from 10:00 to 12:00.
Lecture Session: Illuminating the Dark Universe A morning of science and music led by researchers from the Astro-Particle Institute, exploring the mystery of dark matter with musical interpretation by cellist Rali Margalit. When: Friday, November 14, at 10:30.
Education Workshop – Combinations in the Classroom: Learning Science, Thinking Through Art and Movement Dr. Didi Mertzach and Dr. Galit Zana Sternfeld offer an integrated learning experience connecting science, art and movement to create holistic and innovative teaching. When: Friday, November 14, from 10:00 to 14:00.
Meetup – Scientists and Artists An open and dynamic session led by Dr. Daniel Glaser of the United Kingdom, inviting scientists and artists to share ideas and develop interdisciplinary projects in a creative setting. The session will be conducted in English. When: Friday, November 14, from 11:00 to 15:00.
Saturday, November 15
“HaOsef Hachi Hachi” – The Train Theater with Yehonatan Ben Haim Yehonatan invites visitors to explore his private collections: leaves, clouds, water and earth, which create sensitive worlds of magic and humor. This light and poetic performance for children aged 3 and older and the whole family uses everyday objects, together with children and parents, to create imaginative worlds filled with seasons and theatrical magic. When: Saturday, November 15, at 10:30.
Noa’s Secret of Infinity – Sharona Florsheim Noa meets the smallest particles in the universe, which teach her things she did not know about herself and the world around her. They are funny, appear and disappear, change shape and can even exist in several places at once. Children discover the secrets together with Noa in this entertaining performance.
An engaging dance-theater production for ages 5-10, introducing modern physics through imagination, movement and music. When: Saturday, November 15, at 11:00.
Brain and Music – A Love Story (Premiere) What happens in the brain when people listen to music? Why does music affect mood? Why is it enjoyable at some times and not at others?
An entertaining and engaging session with Dr. Yoav Ma Tov, cellist Rali Margalit and pianist Gadi Stern, who explore the mysterious relationship between music and the brain.
When: Saturday, November 15, at 12:00.
The festival was created through a partnership between the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, the University Art Gallery and Tel Aviv University, with support from the Tel Aviv Municipality, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nano Museum at Bar-Ilan University, the Young Academy of Sciences and the Choreographers Association.
