Colorful Modular Torah Mantle, Commission for the Jewish Museum Berlin
Jewish Life in Germany: Past & Present, Core Exhibition
Curator: Michal Friedlander
Judaica is intriguing to me as it is rich in traditions and stories and poses many functional challenges to create. I love to work with interlocking modular elements attached to one another without sewing. While I was researching to make my first series of Judaica for an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, I experimented with the modules I had been working with for some time. As I changed the angle of the module from a rectangle at 90 degrees to 60 degrees, I got a dynamic angled shape. To my surprise these angled modules formed the shape of a Magen David when attached one to the other in a certain way. While I was at work looking for a Judaic theme, this still felt like magic upon first discovery. This is due, of course, to the strong and simple geometry of the Magen David, qualities that make it ripe for symbolism.
I believe that the repetition in my work influences the viewer. Engrossing them in pattern can disconnect them from their daily concerns similar to the effect of reading prayer, nigun (Jewish religious vocal music, often with repetitive sounds) or meditation. In the mantle, I created a rough bottom edge to the modular layer. The unfinished quality that I was after gives the mantle a dynamic feel and leaves space for the viewer, relating to my view of Judaism as being living, open, transforming and personal.