Lament
curator: Tali Kayam
2024
Lament for the Tree is a sculptural installation incorporating sound and performance.
At its center is a circular structure inspired by a columbarium. a dovecote or a repository for ashes, proposing a space in which life and death coexist. Approximately 120 cm in diameter, the structure features a series of round openings inspired by ancient columbaria, which in different cultures served both as spaces for raising pigeons and as repositories for cremated remains. The openings are sealed on the inner side with a bioplastic I developed from breast milk and bone, while the structure is decorated with another bioplastic made from ash and bone.
Inside, a sound work composed of bird distress calls creates an immersive acoustic environment. As part of the performance, the audience is invited to form a bird choir, using instruments that imitate bird calls to call the birds back to their homes.
The work was developed before October 7, 2023, in response to the ecological crisis and the disappearance of birds from the urban environment. Following October 7, the work acquired an additional and unexpected resonance. The call to return home began to echo the voices of the dead and the collective call for the hostages to be brought home.
Works
2022 – Eve
2022 – Constanat Veriable
2021 – Borrowed Milk
2020 – The Singing of The Drones
2020 – Mechanics of a Miracle
2017 – Sebaceous Gland
2016 – Give me Your Kiss
2014 – HeLa Funeral
2014 – Sugar Baby
2013 – Homer golem
2012 – Equus Caballus
2012 – Incubation room