Saturday, October 30, 2010

Menashe Kadishman - Shalekhet (Fallen Leaves)

I saw this piece by Menashe Kadishman when I visited the Jewish museum in Berlin two years ago, and it really had an impact on me. it's an installation, entitled Shalekhet (Fallen Leaves). It is located in one of the Voids of the building, normally empty concrete spaces intending to 'serve as an architectural expression of the irretrievable loss of the Jews murdered in Europe'.

Menashe Kadishman, Installation Shalekhet (Fallen Leaves), 1997-2001

Kadishman's installation consists of over 10,000 open-mouthed faces coarsely cut from heavy, circular iron plates covering the floor.What you can't experience from looking at the images is the heavy, echoing clanging that fills the space as you walk across the installation, or the distinct feeling of unease that you feel as you tread across the thousands of faces. It's a powerful experience. Kadishman's sculptures 'evoke painful recollections of the innocent victims of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.'




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