Art installation- 3 mins
Alsace is home to a large concentration of more than 200 synagogues, many of which remain empty and forgotten in small towns and villages that no longer have a Jewish community to serve. The cities they are located in often face a dilemma over what to do with these buildings.
Should we leave them alone?
Should they be renovated at great expense or transformed to meet more current needs?
How to engage residents in their present and future?
As for the fate of the community he served and with the rise of nativist politics and anti-Semitism in the region, it is only a matter of time before he completely disappears both physically and collective memory.
Installation view of sunlight reflections
Wood, LED panels, C-print photo
The project involved archival research, consultations and visits with local residents, politicians, archaeologists, academics, regional historians, the Jewish County Council, schools and local businesses. From there, it was identified that, fundamentally, awareness presented the biggest challenge. Despite its location in the center of the city, residents who had lived nearby all their lives had no knowledge of its existence or why it was there. Following the project, discussions took place with the municipality with a view to securing the future of the buildings in a way that meets the current needs of the local community while preserving its history.
The art installation recreates the reflections of sunlight penetrating through the remarkable Islamic-inspired stained glass windows. Sunlight appears to be projected naturally onto the ground but without the use of spotlights. The light fades and grows like the passing of a fleeting cloud. At one point, mediators place shutters over the windows but rather than taking out the sunlight, it stays in place. The installation also interacts with found objects and relics from the building. One by one, they are removed from their pedestals while their supposed shadows remain unchanged.
"Artificial shadows and light reveal themselves as illusory games that make us more aware of our body - of our present and yet also absent self."
Claire Kueny, Art Critic
Pictures of the installation
