The tallit is a keystone of Jewish ritual. On high holidays, a father holds his tallit above his head, shielding his children beneath it as they receive the special blessing. A bride and groom stand beneath its four corners, as they become a unit before the community. And finally, in death, one is wrapped in a tallit as they are put to rest. The tallit is as icon of Jewish faith, a comfort, a shield, a symbol of pride. A traditional tallit has four corners, each adorned with a tassel. Black stripes run along its shortest sides. Made with cyanotype, the traditional black stipes are replaced by the folds of blue ink hardened by the sun, This tallit captures the moment in which it was worn. A portable monument to the moment of its creation.
The four of us, tied each string with the traditional tcheilat.
The tallit is a keystone of Jewish ritual. On high holidays, a father holds his tallit above his head, shielding his children beneath it as they receive the special blessing. A bride and groom stand beneath its four corners, as they become a unit before the community. And finally, in death, one is wrapped in a tallit as they are put to rest. The tallit is as icon of Jewish faith, a comfort, a shield, a symbol of pride. A traditional tallit has four corners, each adorned with a tassel. Black stripes run along its shortest sides. Made with cyanotype, the traditional black stipes are replaced by the folds of blue ink hardened by the sun, This tallit captures the moment in which it was worn. A portable monument to the moment of its creation.
The four of us, tied each string with the traditional tcheilat.
The tallit is a keystone of Jewish ritual. On high holidays, a father holds his tallit above his head, shielding his children beneath it as they receive the special blessing. A bride and groom stand beneath its four corners, as they become a unit before the community. And finally, in death, one is wrapped in a tallit as they are put to rest. The tallit is as icon of Jewish faith, a comfort, a shield, a symbol of pride. A traditional tallit has four corners, each adorned with a tassel. Black stripes run along its shortest sides. Made with cyanotype, the traditional black stipes are replaced by the folds of blue ink hardened by the sun, This tallit captures the moment in which it was worn. A portable monument to the moment of its creation.
The four of us, tied each string with the traditional tcheilat.
The tallit is a keystone of Jewish ritual. On high holidays, a father holds his tallit above his head, shielding his children beneath it as they receive the special blessing. A bride and groom stand beneath its four corners, as they become a unit before the community. And finally, in death, one is wrapped in a tallit as they are put to rest. The tallit is as icon of Jewish faith, a comfort, a shield, a symbol of pride. A traditional tallit has four corners, each adorned with a tassel. Black stripes run along its shortest sides. Made with cyanotype, the traditional black stipes are replaced by the folds of blue ink hardened by the sun, This tallit captures the moment in which it was worn. A portable monument to the moment of its creation.
The four of us, tied each string with the traditional tcheilat.
The tallit is a keystone of Jewish ritual. On high holidays, a father holds his tallit above his head, shielding his children beneath it as they receive the special blessing. A bride and groom stand beneath its four corners, as they become a unit before the community. And finally, in death, one is wrapped in a tallit as they are put to rest. The tallit is as icon of Jewish faith, a comfort, a shield, a symbol of pride. A traditional tallit has four corners, each adorned with a tassel. Black stripes run along its shortest sides. Made with cyanotype, the traditional black stipes are replaced by the folds of blue ink hardened by the sun, This tallit captures the moment in which it was worn. A portable monument to the moment of its creation.
The four of us, tied each string with the traditional tcheilat.
In this age of digital reproduction, what really separates a picture from a painting? If I can recreate the nuance of a painting within a photograph, what does it become? What does it mean for the painting? Is its labor devalued?
These are all pictures of domestic objects. See how they transcend, once blurred to the point of abstraction.
חוה ראשונה / עזר כנגדו
אור. חושך
מגולה. מוסתר
קרבה. ריחוק
שכבות של עומק
שמיים גבוהים
ביחד הם עולים
ועולים
ביחד
הם שווים
ביחד
מגדלים אחד את השניה
מרב גובה
הם מתרחקים
ביחד
הם שווים
שמיים יותר גבוהים
אין להם ילדים
הם גבוהים מדי
מחוץ לאטמוספירה
אף אחד לא נושם
אף אחד חוץ מהם
רק הם שם
ביחד
First Eve / Ezer Knegdo (Helpmate)
Revealed. Hidden
Proximity. Distance
Layers of depth
High skies
Together they rise
And rise
together
They are equal
together
Raising each other
From such height
They shun
together
They are equal
Higher skies
They have no children
They are too high
Out of atmosphere
No one can breathe
None other than them
Only they are there
together
by Leora Weitzman
Split
In the mirror, I see a self.
An identical twin separated
by a sheet of glass.
Always there.
Waiting like a dog
for me to return.
I'm glad I get to leave.
Perhaps if it was the other way around,
I'd be just as resentful.
by Gavi Weitzman
Eve
A bird came to me and asked,
"Why do you think the sky is blue?"
"Because it reflects the sea," I said.
"No!" he shouted, "I asked why you think the sky is blue!"
"Oh, well I don't know," I replied.
"Why do you sing songs in the morning?"
"To quell the sadness in my heart, of course," said the bird.
He flew away and the sun began to set.
by Gavi Weitzman
חוה השניה / אם כל חי
יש ילדים
ברוך ה' הרבה
בלי עין הרע
כן ירבו
ופשטות בשפע
זרימת חיים טבעית
שגרת יומיום
סנדביצ'ים בבוקר
כביסה, גיהוץ, אוכל חם
ובחצר עיזים ופרה
יש בשר וחלב
לא מעורבב
פנים בפנים
חיים טובים בפשטות, בשמחה, בנחת
בית עץ יפה
בית לתפארת
חום, רוך
אמא ואבא וילדים
והארץ לה
והשמיים לו
חלוקה שווה
בסך הכל
Second Eve / Mother Of All Lives
There are children
Thank god a lot
may the evil eye not affect them
More the better
And simplicity abounds
A natural flow of life
Daily routine
Sandwiches in the morning
Laundry, ironing, warm food
And in the yard a goat and a cow
There is meat and milk
Not mixed
Face to face
A good life in simplicity, in joy, in peace
A beautiful wooden house
A house of glory
Warmth, softness
Mother and father and children
And the land to her
And sky for him
equal division
Overall
by Leora Weitzman
Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness... perfumed with myrrh and frankincense?
Hark! my beloved! behold, he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
Let his left hand be under my head, and his right hand embrace me.
(Song of Songs, 3:6)
מִי זֹאת
עֹלָה מִן
הַמִּדְבָּר
מְקֻטֶּרֶת
מֹרוּלְבוֹנָה
קוֹל דּוֹדִי
הִנֵּה זֶה בָּא
מְדַלֵּג עַל
הֶהָרִים
מְקַפֵּץ עַל הַגְּבָעוֹת
שְׂמֹאלוֹ
תַּחַת לְרֹאשִׁי
וִימִינוֹ
תְּחַבְּקֵנִי
(שיר השירים (ג:ו
From the Wilderness is a collection of digital collages and poetry produced in collaboration with my cousin, Leora Weitzman as a part of my project, Engaging from Afar. Leora lives in Israel and went to school for graphic design. We decided to base our collaboration on an idea discussed in a book she was reading called "Mi Zot Ola" by Nir Manussi.
Leora explained to me that there were two versions of Eve created in the Garden of Eden. The first Eve was created on a high spiritual level, one that was too high and therefore unsuitable for this world. The second Eve, was physical being, much simpler than the first. Adam marries the second Eve, leaving the first one alone and hurt. In an ideal world, the two Eves are reunited, with women embodying both a physical and spiritual existence.
Inspired by this idea, Leora and I created a series of digital collages and poetry concerning the spiritual and physical aspects of femininity. We each brought our own perspective, culture and religious influences to the conversation, providing two different interpretations of the ideas expressed in the book. The name of the collaboration comes from a poem from Song of Songs that is listed above.