Leonard Cohen

HiNENI הנני,..... “Here I Am” in Hebrew.

עיר מקלט IR MiKLaT City of Refuge/Shelter [Epistemic מקום MaKOM in MaKOM] 1986

IR MiKLaT  City of Refuge 
[Epistemic מקום MaKOM in MaKOM] 1986
2x - wood, bronze, 200 x 72 x 200 cm.

I have placed two identical objects, (i.e., two identical footnotes), 

at two different locations in Amsterdam.

1. The first object was placed in the bedroom of Gert Meijerink, 

art historian and curator - to be identified as a Private Space.

2. The second object was placed in - Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam - 

to be identified as a Public Space.

King James Bible, Numbers 35:28 'Because he (the one who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally) should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession."

In this context, then, the invisible 'City of Refuge/Shelter', 

which I have constructed between the two identical objects, is again a certain movement between the Private and the Public spaces - but whereas the childhood memory of a public entrance of a bomb shelter is still driven by the effect of fear - the constructed 'City of Refuge/Shelter' is driven by the influence of a changing physical locations, and so it should be considered as a "Public Confession".

Please note:

this "Public Confession" has been essentially a symbol of sorrow; 

my sincere request for forgiveness -

that is, the eternal theme of the 'poetry' of the soldier - 

the War and the veil of its smell.

Thus gradually, the world of the soldier merges with the world of death, 

and this is the soldier's memory of the act of killing.

It is not, however, until the end of the war, 

that the opposition between the significance of life and the intolerable burden of being a soldier becomes apparent. 

What remains, is not a memory, but simply a "Public Confession". 

A soldier / kisses / a bird / on a garden path.

Still a soldier / even though all around / is a diadem / of birds.

Their shadow / is a bride / And one bird / kisses his mouth (A false promise)

An image / a portrait / of a soldier / I saw him / 

A man swollen up 

One died / 

He left the land/

We are all bound by the law(s) of the Private and the Public Space, in the sense that we are always already residing in a system of possibilities and limits within which we evolve our own spatial memory. But at the same time, we are also busy deciding, what the Guest's condition should be. 

Consequently, by placing a recognizable object in the Public Space, and calling it an artwork, we are reinforcing its invisible element - 

the MaKOM in MaKOM which is at once a constraining framework and a system of possibilities to be exploited by the public. True, the Public Space and the Private Space are social design, a physical entities that transform different areas of everyday life into the act of Reading while Writing. 

In these terms, then, we can observe that the form of the Private Space is a kept secret, 

and it remains a connecting KaV ( i.e., line, cord, string, outline), 

even if sometimes the KaV seems to be a Public knowledge. 

In the end, by imposing the Private Writing on the Publicness of Reading, one could keep out of sight, and sometime if needed, one could reveal his own authentic Name.

The form of the artworks is based on a childhood memory of a public entrance of a bomb shelter, in Tel-Aviv, Israel.

Please note;

between the two objects, (that is to say, between the Private Space and the Public Space) I have designated an invisible square - an invisible territory - a frame of mind  - a spatial space - a void, to remind us of the idea of the 'City of Refuge/Shelter';

(IR MIKLaT);  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_of_Refuge

All of the unintentional man slayers went into  עיר מקלט -  CITY OF REFUGE - they were forced to leave their home, for a long staying in GaLUT (Diaspora); this is GaLUT within the Holy Land!

..."To begin with, גלות GaLUT is not an Exile, neither Diaspora, nor an existing Place; GaLUT is simply a disciplined activity, an intensive vision, and it is what GaLUT proceeds to do - to transform each and every temporary מקום MaKOM of shelter, into a perpetual search for a Hand Full of Soil. At this point, one can say that the depiction of MaKOM in MaKOM in GaLUT is an idea of a constant doubling; That is to say, that the depiction of MaKOM in GaLUT, is nothing but a double mirror-image of itself by itself. But behind all these, there is another reality, that is of an absolute Reading, to be defined in terms of the enduring action of Writing. And in return, one can say that there is one single universal Reading, -  a singular universal object - and this is the TeMUNaH (an image of a picture) of a human גולגולת GULGOLeT, (Skull); The primary element of sanctity which continues to re-assume its lucidity by the act of Reading while Writing. Here, then, the action of measuring in GaLUT, is a way to define אופק OFeK, ( Horizon, Restraining ) - the KaV, (line, cord, string, streak, outline)  which separate the Doubling of MaKOM from the absence of MaKOM. But soon, everything would be a measurement, a measurement in the public sphere, a limited and primitive gesture of a (certain) memory, of a constant Doubling - and this is precisely the significance of the Promise which has been initiated and established in GaLUT. And GaLUT is the world, the lay-out of a double mirror-image of the world thrown across. 
Remember, this is the logical predicament of GaLUT's subversive system; we shall call it, 'Reading while Writing', for it is a gesture which displays itself exclusively in maximizing the act of Measurement in MOED, (appointed time, specific date, commemorative date,). 

Joseph Semah: The Doubling of מקום MaKOM.

In this context, then, the invisible 'City of Refuge/Shelter', which I have constructed between the two identical objects, is again a certain movement between the Private and the Public spaces - but whereas the childhood memory, namely, my private memory of a public entrance of a bomb shelter is still driven by the effect of fear; the constructed 'City of Refuge', is driven by the influence of a changing physical locations, and so it should be considered as a Public Confession.

King James Bible, Numbers 35:28 

Because he (the one who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally) should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

We are all bound by the law(s) of the Private and the Public Space, in the sense that we are always already residing in a system of possibilities and limits within which we evolve our own spatial memory. 

But at the same time, we are always busy deciding, what the Other's condition should be. 

Consequently, by placing a recognizable object in the Public Space, and calling it an artwork, we are reinforcing as it were, its invisible element - the void which is at once a constraining framework and a system of possibilities to be exploited by the public.

True, the Public Space and the Private Space are social design, a physical entities that transform different areas of everyday life into the act of Reading while Writing.

In these terms, then, we can observe that the form of the Private Space is a kept secret, and it remains a connecting KaV ( i.e., line, cord, string, outline), even if sometimes the KaV seems to be a Public knowledge.

In the end, by imposing the Private Writing on the Publicness of Reading, one could keep out of sight, or even reveal his status, as needed.

Vleeshal, Meat Market BaYiT BaSaR בית בשר 1991

Vleeshal, Meat Market BaYiT BaSaR בית בשר 1991
In the sculpture "Vleeshal (meat market) BaYiT BaSaR בית בשר 1991", I have reduced an existing hall - de Vleeshal (meat market) in Middelburg, the Netherlands - into a model which then functions as a support for an inscription. What is particular about this inscription is the fact that it is made up by the joints between the geometrical blocks of which the sculpture is constructed (please note: the geometrical blocks are based on 6 Hebrew letters, בית בשר to be read as BaSaR BaYiT i.e., Vleeshal/meat market). The place is transformed into its name, a name which lives in the lacuna of the town. 

1991 Vleeshal (Correction III) BaYiT BaSaR בית בשר x900 x 380 x 19 cm, metal, bronze, 

(Collection Becht, Naarden)

KaPOReT כַּפֹּרֶת 1979

KaPOReT כַּפֹּרֶת 1979 

iron (Car Ramp), copper 50 x 130 x 40 cm  


One can learn much from this, for this is not a
contradiction; on the contrary, the Golden COVER is the source,
the designed image of כַּפֹּרֶת (KaPoReT);

(KaPoReT), Seat of Mercy, covering (lid) of the Holy Ark)
curtain. In the following examples we show the use of the verb כפר K.P.R.
in Torah, the Old Testament. KoFeR: A protective coating –
Genesis, Breshit 6:14. AChaPeRaH: A protection gift – Genesis,
Breshit 32:21. KeFoR: A covering of the ground – Exodus, Shemot
16:14. KoFeR: Protection money, the word used to describe a payment
which can be made in lieu of punishment, protection from punishment
- Numeri, Bamidbar 35:31. KaPoReT: A golden lid with two KeRUVIM,
Cherubs upon it, served as the cover for the Holy Ark – Exodus,
Shemot 25:17-22. The Hebrew word KiPUR is a derivative of the
biblical word כַּפֹּרֶת KaPoReT. The term Yom Kippur is commonly known as
the day of Atonement. Please Note: The word Atonement appears only
once in the King James Bible, the New Testament, Romans 5:11, and
more than 80 times in KJB, the Old Testament.

KaPOReT כַּפֹּרֶת 1979 iron (Car Ramp), copper 50 x 130 x 40 cm 

The SCAPEGOAT; שָׂעִיר לַעֲזָאזֵל 1986

The SCAPEGOAT; שָׂעִיר לַעֲזָאזֵל 1986 

"And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: 

one lot for the LORD, and the other (i.e., The Scapegoat) 

lot for AZAZeL." Leviticus 16:8

Please note: the two goats are always already identical.

The Scapegoat 1986

bronze, woven cotton band (104 meters)

140 x 40 x 400 cm

The SCAPEGOAT; שָׂעִיר לַעֲזָאזֵל

And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats:
one lot for the LORD, and the other (i.e., SAIR La-AZAZeL / The AZaZeL Goat) lot for AZAZeL." Leviticus 16:8
Please note: the two goats must be identical...........;

In this context then, to explain the idea of SAIR La-AZAZeL (The AZaZeL Goat), and in particular to justify the [epistemic] process of selection; 

namely, the mental power, the skill to identify the SAIR La-AZAZeL (The AZaZeL Goat) out of two identical goats can only take place in language, 

which has a writing system. As such, the act of Reading about the very status of two identical objects, and the ability to choose and to promote one object, 

is therefore connected directly to Writing; 

please note, the SAIR La-AZAZeL (The AZaZeL Goat) as a symbol, 

is our attempt to select something, which has already been selected by itself. 

So finally, to gaze at the image of a certain selected object, i.e., the SAIR La-AZAZeL (The AZaZeL Goat), is not an act of solidarity, nor a censorship, 

but a certain momentary translation. 

In other words, the exchanging of Reading with Writing. 

True, the SAIR La-AZAZeL (The AZaZeL Goat) is understood not simply as an object in space and time, but as an action that we need to take into consideration, even inside an unfamiliar room. 

At this point, the SAIR La-AZAZeL (The AZaZeL Goat), the selected object -  our Given symbol -  is the reason why each and every artwork on display, cannot be simply a category of ocular desire. After all, there is nothing asymmetrical about it, to the extent that the veiled mechanism of selection is, at all times, 

linked to Reading while Writing. So, to be sure, the traces of the past are found and identified, because of the magnificent moment of the second birth of 

the Guest's mother tongue.

Echo / Echo, Kunst in Kirchen Raum geben, Hannover, Germany 1993

Echo / Echo, Kunst in Kirchen Raum geben, Hannover, Germany 1993

Echo / Echo is a site specific art work in memory of the synagogue which was built next to the Ev.- Luth. Neustädter Hof- und Stadtkirche St. Johannis, Hannover.
The main synagogue of Hannover was destroyed during the Kristallnacht pogrom, 10.11.1938. The main synagogue of Hannover, architect: the German-Jewish Edwin Oppler (1831-80), inaugurated 1870.

Echo / Echo I
In the clock tower of the Ev.- Luth. Neustädter Hof- und Stadtkirche St. Johannis Hannover.      Bronze, (in bronze casted, 36 ShOFaROT, ram's horn used for Jewish religious purposes),          Height 600 cm
Please note: Echo / Echo I in the clock tower, disappeared without a trace, it has yet to be found.

Echo / Echo II,
(In the proximity of the Church) 4 x steel plates (The form is based on the ground plan of a synagogue), Bronze, Height 75 cm.
This art work is located outside the Church, in front of the Church Office, Landeskirchenamt Hannover.
Please note: The administrative center of the Luth. Church of Hanover has been built upon the area of the destroyed Synagogue in 1954. At a certain time it has been decided to change the location of Echo / Echo II, to the back side of the Church. A strange decision by the city. http://www.josephsemah.nl/…/d…/files/books/Echo%20EchoKL.pdf

 The main synagogue of Hannover

 the Ev.- Luth. Neustädter Hof- und Stadtkirche St. Johannis Hannover.

שלחן ערוך ShULChaN ARUCh, Set Table, (Laid Table)

שלחן ערוך  ShULChaN ARUCh
Set Table, (Laid Table), 2005
ORaCh ChaYIM (Manner of Life) - YOReH DEAH (If Teaches Knowlegde) - EVeN HaEZeR (Stone of Help) - CHOSheN MiShPaT (Breastplate of Judgement) - MaPaH / TOSaFOT (Tablecloth/ Extra) 
Collection: Bouwfonds Art Foundation, Hoevelaken, The Netherlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shulchan_Aruch

שלחן ערוך  ShULChaN ARUCh, Set Table, (Laid Table), 5x Parts, 2005

 שלחן ערוך  ShULChaN ARUCh, Set Table, (Laid Table), 5x Parts, 2005

 שלחן ערוך  ShULChaN ARUCh, Set Table, (Laid Table), 5x Parts, 2005
ORaCh ChaYIM (Manner of Life)
Wood, 2 saw-horses, copper,  2 x cast iron shoe lasts, 108 x 60 x100 cm

 שלחן ערוך  ShULChaN ARUCh, Set Table, (Laid Table), 5x Parts, 2005
YOReH DEAH (If Teaches Knowledge), 
Copper, glass, wood, 2 saw-horses, iron rings, 5x marble eggs, 108 x 60 x 100 cm

 שלחן ערוך  ShULChaN ARUCh Set Table, (Laid Table), 5x Parts, 2005
EVeN HaEZeR (Stone of Help),  
Glass, wood, 2 saw-horses, copper, 2 x horseshoe, 2 x stones from Jerusalem, 108 x 60 x 100 cm

 שלחן ערוך  ShULChaN ARUCh, Set Table, (Laid Table), 5x Parts, 2005
CHOSheN MiShPaT (Breastplate of Judgement), 
Wood, copper, 2 saw-horses, 117.5 x 60 x 100 cm

שלחן ערוך  ShULChaN ARUCh, Set Table, (Laid Table), 5x Parts, 2005
MaPaH / TOSaFOT (Tablecloth/ Extra), 
Wood, 2 saw-horses, white cloth material, threads, 74 x 60 x 100 cm