Installation Reflection- Mishpacha (Family)

 

Artist Statement:

(משפחה Mishpacha) means family in Hebrew. I invite you to take

a look into family, traditions, and space. This is what a modern

Jewish home may look like.

Every Friday night after the sun goes down, Shabbat begins.

Shabbat lasts from sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday

night. During this time, people who celebrate Shabbat rest and

traditionally refrain from any kind of work.

When I am at home during Shabbat, I sit at the dinner table with

my family (משפחה שלי) (Mishpacha Sheli). It is an intentional time

away from daily life, to come together, as a family. At school, I

practice in a similar way with others who share similar values of

community and intentional time together.

Mishpacha) depicts a place where some of the many( משפחה

Jewish traditions and rituals that I have experienced throughout

my life come together. The colors of Jewish artists Marc Chagall

and Leila Raymond (Lawrence University 2023) have inspired me

to bring bright color to Judaism.

This space, משפחה, is meant to depict peace (שלומ) (Shalom)

within the home (בית) (Bayit) and honor those who have kept

Jewish traditions alive in my family even though they have passed.

The making of the challah I thought would be a small component of the installation. Instead it became a main focus of the piece. Making the challah, using my mother's recipe became more of a challenge that I initially thought. Making the challah for the first time without my mother felt strange, and distanced... but when I was running into baking trouble, I relied on my intuition and past history of making challah with my mother. 

After filming the video, my editing process relied on close shots to get an intimate feel. I cut different footage and zoomed in on hands, bread, flour, etc. to create this feeling of intimacy and remembrance. 

It was beautiful to see people interacting with the space, but going in there alone, with the sound (of the projector) and lighting creates a different experience. More quiet and reflective.

I am excited that I got the chance to share and educate others on my personal experience with Jewish traditions and spaces. Having the opportunity to talk with people after made an even bigger difference. I had people tell me how much it touched them (several people cried), and felt a deep connection and longing for their own people who have passed. It is important to keep memories and traditions alive and this installation reminded me of this and its importance in identity, especially my own Jewish identity.