Gnizah
I found the book Dewarim (Deuteronomium) in the streets of Jerusalem. It had a hole burned into its chest. I was wondering about the story behind. According to the jewish tradition Gnizah I buried the book at a cemetry in Jerusalem. For me it was an act honouring the sacredness of the book - an attempt to reconcile and heal the wound. But also it was a farewell from a religious tradition and a delivery into the processual of life and nature. Like sowing a seed into the earth I hand the form into possible change and growth.
JERUSALEMS
32 tree trunks with books placed on top. The books are about Jerusalem, representing the manifold and conflicting interpretations of Jerusalem. They are ranging from primary religous texts of the 3 monotheistic religions, reports by pilgrims to Jerusalem, crusaders narration, islamic literature (Fadā'il) about Jerusalem, jewish lyric poetry and archeological reports to historical accounts.
The linear arrangement of the tree trunks resemble a military cemetry to emphasize the exclusive aspects of the interpretations of Jerusalem and the demands and conflicts following this, but also the common ground they share.
Pillars of Salt
A book shelf with 18 salted books.
The salted books question the value of the book by connecting the ambivalent metaphor and nature of salt, as used in the Jewish and Christian tradition. Like the conserving effect of salt an (historical) book tries to preserve and thus construct history. The conservation works through dehydration that deprives water from metabolic processes of live to perpetuate a static form. In this aspect the work takes reference to the story of Lot's wife, who turned into a pillar of salt by turning back to her vanishing past. In contrary a book can widen and open the perspective. In this inspiring function lies the boon of a book, which can be connected to the symbolic aspect of salt as blessing.
Archeology Of A Facade
14 hanging sheets of plexiglass with wall remnants.
They were glued on the facade outside the gallery and detached again, so parts of the walls were taken off and revealed the layers underneath, like in an archeological excavation. Inside the gallery they created a wall, with an out- and inside.
יהי אור
Installation View