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Clamor in the Desert

The movement of people around the world does not stop stirring. Whether immigrants or emigrants, exiles, expatriates, or refugees – all are displaced from their homes, and are referenced in this sukkah. The Tucson museum is placed in a desert only 400 meters from one of the points of conflict related to immigrants from Mexico. A Sukkah is an unstable and temporary construction representing the fragility of human life and at the same time a shelter for anyone who feels forlorn.

Kol Kore Bamidbar, are the Hebrew words to say “That voice that cries out for protection” This installation transforms fence materials into a shelter that welcomes everyone as a celebration, a shelter that receives humanity as a whole which is represented on the walls of the sukkah, as they are filled with printed images of eyes through a participatory collective action. Visitors were invited to add printed eyes to the installation. Mirrors hanging from the structure reflect the eyes of visitors, as witnesses. The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights appears written in 50 different languages, including traditional ones, as well as native people’s languages of the United States but obviously also from Mexico and South America, The fact of “not understanding” is crucial in this work, since it marks the feeling of foreignness. The colors chosen for the Sukkah represent the traditional attributes of Sukkot this work captures the deep spirit of this celebration: the “Welcoming” itself is already the reason to celebrate .”Otherness” and “Togetherness” are the big themes of this installation
In the time of our current plague, although our mouths are covered with protective masks; our voices in our eyes continue to claim justice together.

 

Mirta Kupferminc

Site specific installation- 158 x 177 x 196 Inches. Wire mesh- perforated metal plate- metal tube- Made during the Pandemic, October 2020 for the Jewish History Holocaust Memorial Museum in Tucson Arizona – Comissioned by LABA global, CANVAS, CAJM. U.S.A