PaRDeS
LABAlights
LABAlights is a monthly publication of the LABA fellows at the 14th Street Y. It is published at the beginning of the Jewish month, when the new moon is on the rise. Every month LABA fellows and guests present essays, commentary, art, and music around a theme connected to the pardes.
LABAlights #1 / TEVET / DEC 2009 / THE BLUEPRINT OF PARADISE
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Launching LABAlights #1
Month of Tevet
Editor: Elissa Strauss
Art Editor: Anat Litwin
Contributors: LABA Fellows
Theme: Blueprint of Paradise
This month, Tevet, we will be considering paradise from an architectural point of view. We are looking for physical clues about paradise, whether in the Garden of Eden, Jewish texts, or contemporary art.
Month of Tevet
Editor: Elissa Strauss
Art Editor: Anat Litwin
Contributors: LABA Fellows
Theme: Blueprint of Paradise
This month, Tevet, we will be considering paradise from an architectural point of view. We are looking for physical clues about paradise, whether in the Garden of Eden, Jewish texts, or contemporary art.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Welcome to the first edition of LABAlights, a monthly publication of the fellows of the 14th St. Y. For the next year, LABAlights will be published at the beginning of the Jewish month, and will feature essays, Torah and Talmud commentary, art, and music around a theme connected to the pardes, which means orchard or paradise.
Lately there has been a lot of focus on how Jews are holding onto their identity -- outside of the religion. This "cool Jew" movement, with its ironic t-shirts, clever publications and Jewish themed dance parties, has done a lot to make being Jewish feel hip and relevant. But it has its limits.
This project hopes to go against that current, and take a look at some of the substance inside of Judaism in an equally contemporary context. Through the course of the year we are going to use our experiences as artists and culture makers as we create new work in response to our communal exegesis of the Talmudic tale of the PaRDeS, along with other ancient and contemporary readings from the Torah and elsewhere.
Elissa Strauss
Lately there has been a lot of focus on how Jews are holding onto their identity -- outside of the religion. This "cool Jew" movement, with its ironic t-shirts, clever publications and Jewish themed dance parties, has done a lot to make being Jewish feel hip and relevant. But it has its limits.
This project hopes to go against that current, and take a look at some of the substance inside of Judaism in an equally contemporary context. Through the course of the year we are going to use our experiences as artists and culture makers as we create new work in response to our communal exegesis of the Talmudic tale of the PaRDeS, along with other ancient and contemporary readings from the Torah and elsewhere.
Elissa Strauss
COMMENTARY: Genesis 2:8 - 2:17 by Ruby Namdar
Cole Thomas : The Garden of Eden
8: And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9: And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10: And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11: The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12: And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13: And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14: And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
How many times have I read this text? Who knows! I’ve studied it, taught it and alluded to it so frequently that I often feel an absurd sense of ownership over it – which, by the way, is not an uncommon thing, as the history of religion proves. And yet, after all these years, I never quite gotten used to it, I cannot take it for granted. There is such a searing quality to the language, to the inner dynamics, to the intensity of description – the text itself resembles the rough gems and nuggets of good gold that are mentioned in it.
What I find most striking is the tension, the near-contradiction, between the rawness of its style and its structural perfection – a tension which resonates the inner conflict of the text: the tension between reality and myth, between place and placelessness.
On one hand the description is very real, concrete, geographic: we are given the co-ordinates of an imaginary map of the ancient world, names of famous rivers are dropped and coveted materials are mentioned as if in passing, creating a halo of beauty and richness around its nine dense verses. But on the other hand it is totally poetic, absolutely dreamlike, positively unreal. Read the rest here
How many times have I read this text? Who knows! I’ve studied it, taught it and alluded to it so frequently that I often feel an absurd sense of ownership over it – which, by the way, is not an uncommon thing, as the history of religion proves. And yet, after all these years, I never quite gotten used to it, I cannot take it for granted. There is such a searing quality to the language, to the inner dynamics, to the intensity of description – the text itself resembles the rough gems and nuggets of good gold that are mentioned in it.
What I find most striking is the tension, the near-contradiction, between the rawness of its style and its structural perfection – a tension which resonates the inner conflict of the text: the tension between reality and myth, between place and placelessness.
On one hand the description is very real, concrete, geographic: we are given the co-ordinates of an imaginary map of the ancient world, names of famous rivers are dropped and coveted materials are mentioned as if in passing, creating a halo of beauty and richness around its nine dense verses. But on the other hand it is totally poetic, absolutely dreamlike, positively unreal. Read the rest here
ESSAY: Paradise and Walls by Elissa Strauss
A friend of mine recently wrote a novel about a 10-year-old prodigy map-maker who relies on cartography to inject some order into his life. I think we all have this instinct, if not as literal, to try to order the spaces we inhabit, the experiences we live.
I thought that as an adult I would lose the impulse to race around a hotel room or new home to quickly examine the beds, bathroom and closets. Where will I sleep? Where will I bathe? Where will I put my stuff? But it is an instinct I have not shed. I need to know the layout of a place, before I can inhabit it.
We have just started studying the pardes, which means paradise or orchard in Hebrew, and I can see a similar pattern emerging. Before I can really consider it, I need some sense of it in physical terms. I need to run my index finger around its corners, examine the sources of light, find a comfortable place to sit down. Read the rest here
ART: Urban Orchards by Anat Litwin
The City is interpreted as an organic circulatory live system. Along its main artery - the Subway system - a dense Orchard is planted. The Starn brothers who have been exploring forms in nature for more then 30 years, created an ambitious public art project titled "See It Split, See It Change" (2005–2008) installed at the South Ferry Subway Station. This piece challenges the boundries of urban and natural worlds, intertwining brick, branches, travelers and escalators to bring into the everyday urban routine the charm and awe of being caught in the depth of a dense black forest.
Read more about the project here, and about the Starn brothers here.
Read more about the project here, and about the Starn brothers here.
Lost in the Subway, found in the woods: The Starn Brothers Urban Orchard
MUSIC: Notes on the Garden by Stephen Hazan Arnoff
Bruce Springsteen called the late Warren Zevon a moralist in cynic's clothing. This makes him a fine, no-holds-barred partner for digging into the Bible. In thinking about translating the paradox of the Garden of Eden -- natural creation tainted by urges for civilization, the mash up of divine and human desire -- Zevon charts a course for the cutting paradox of modern paradise in Despardos Under the Eaves. (Enjoy this acoustic version with Jackson Browne, stripped down to the core without the string section). Read the rest here.
Mapping Paradise
This may appear to be a straightforward map of the Middle East. However, closer inspection will reveal some extraordinary details. The picture in the top right hand corner shows Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, while a number of descriptions on the map refer to other stories from the Bible.The map was made in 1675, and appeared at a time when Protestants in England believed, very literally, in the truth of the Bible. Adam and Eve, Noah's flood, Joseph and his coat of many colours: all these stories were believed to be actual historical events. As a result, Paradise (or Eden) was often shown on maps, as if these stories had really happened. From the British Library online. Read more here
NEWS
Potluck Portrait Series
The blueprint for paradise found in farmers' furrows, the toiled soil, the long soft beds of organic vegtables and herbs.
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The CSA Potluck Dinner Portrait Series is a photo series of members of the 14 Street Y Tuv Haaretz CSA - Community Supportive Agriculture. This series was taken at the potluck dinner at the end of the farming season with members from the CSA community, the CSA coordinators Gina & Sayra and with David the farmer from the Monkshood Nursery. Members were asked to bring a home cooked organic dish or produce to the table and a favorite recipe. David put together a slide show and shared some stories about organic farming life, and the Monkshood's garden of Eden. For more info about the CSA at the 14th Street Y and to sign up click here.
Slide Show: Selected Photographs by Alic Trossman, created in collaboration with Anat Litwin.
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The CSA Potluck Dinner Portrait Series is a photo series of members of the 14 Street Y Tuv Haaretz CSA - Community Supportive Agriculture. This series was taken at the potluck dinner at the end of the farming season with members from the CSA community, the CSA coordinators Gina & Sayra and with David the farmer from the Monkshood Nursery. Members were asked to bring a home cooked organic dish or produce to the table and a favorite recipe. David put together a slide show and shared some stories about organic farming life, and the Monkshood's garden of Eden. For more info about the CSA at the 14th Street Y and to sign up click here.
Slide Show: Selected Photographs by Alic Trossman, created in collaboration with Anat Litwin.
At the Y and Around Town:
At the 14th Street Y:
On Monday, December 21, we will feature a reading of LABA fellow David Deblinger’s play NEUROTICA at the 14th Street Y Theater at 7:30pm. A dark comedy on love with song, rap and magic, NEUROTICA explores the relationship between our unconscious (the voices in our head), to what we call the occult, and how the ones we are most attracted to can be those who might just kill us. Email becky_skoff@14streety.org to reserve a seat.
January 7-28, the 14th Street Y Gallery will be featuring a new exhibition, LABA’s Guests, by Israeli artists Tamar Hirschi, Leor Grady, Hadasa Goldvicht, Tamar Ettun, Keren Cytter, Itamar Jobani, Yael Rechter, Rona Yefman, Shay Kun, and more. The exhibition is curated by Tzili Charney. The opening reception will take place on Thursday, January 7, 2010, from 6-9 pm. More exhibitions to be announced soon!
The 14th Street Y is the home to a 100 seat theater- now open for rentals! This is a great space for dance, theater, and educational events. Contact becky_skoff@14streety.org for more information.
Read about the transformation of the 14th Street Y in the Forward.
Read the rest here
On Monday, December 21, we will feature a reading of LABA fellow David Deblinger’s play NEUROTICA at the 14th Street Y Theater at 7:30pm. A dark comedy on love with song, rap and magic, NEUROTICA explores the relationship between our unconscious (the voices in our head), to what we call the occult, and how the ones we are most attracted to can be those who might just kill us. Email becky_skoff@14streety.org to reserve a seat.
January 7-28, the 14th Street Y Gallery will be featuring a new exhibition, LABA’s Guests, by Israeli artists Tamar Hirschi, Leor Grady, Hadasa Goldvicht, Tamar Ettun, Keren Cytter, Itamar Jobani, Yael Rechter, Rona Yefman, Shay Kun, and more. The exhibition is curated by Tzili Charney. The opening reception will take place on Thursday, January 7, 2010, from 6-9 pm. More exhibitions to be announced soon!
The 14th Street Y is the home to a 100 seat theater- now open for rentals! This is a great space for dance, theater, and educational events. Contact becky_skoff@14streety.org for more information.
Read about the transformation of the 14th Street Y in the Forward.
Read the rest here
Around Town:
Sweet Epiphany / Paper Cut-Outs and Patisseries celebrating kingly crowns and other Royal delights. Exhibition Dates : Jan 1st - Feb 10th, 2010 / Opening Jan 1st 6-8 pm
Hours: 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Address: 374 9th Street (at 6th Avenue) Avenue / Brooklyn, NY 11215 / TEL: 718.965.6400
www.colsonpastries.com
Colson, one of New York’s leading patisseries is proud to Host Sweet Epiphany, an exhibition by Brooklyn based artist Anat Litwin opening on January 1st in conjunction with the traditional annual baking of the Galette des Rois / the Kings cake.
Sweet Epiphany / Paper Cut-Outs and Patisseries celebrating kingly crowns and other Royal delights. Exhibition Dates : Jan 1st - Feb 10th, 2010 / Opening Jan 1st 6-8 pm
Hours: 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Address: 374 9th Street (at 6th Avenue) Avenue / Brooklyn, NY 11215 / TEL: 718.965.6400
www.colsonpastries.com
Colson, one of New York’s leading patisseries is proud to Host Sweet Epiphany, an exhibition by Brooklyn based artist Anat Litwin opening on January 1st in conjunction with the traditional annual baking of the Galette des Rois / the Kings cake.
LETTER from Anat Litwin
It’s been a few months since our last email and I would like to use this opportunity to share with you some news.
As of November 2009 I have made a professional transition and I am no longer working as the Associate Director of LABA. Instead, I am now engaged in the LABA program as senior LABA artist, consultant, and art editor for LABAlights, our new exciting LABA newsletter.
This transition takes place after five years of working in a full time position in the world of Art, Jewish Studies, and community as both Director of the Makor Artist-in-Residency & Gallery, Associate Director of LABA at the 14th Street Y, and Artistic Director and Founder of the HomeBase project. I am now shifting my time, energy and passion into pursuing my path as an artist, focusing on creating a book titled ANATOMY - a biographical/biological exploration of self inspired by last years LABA theme of Body, and to entering the Orchard.
It has been a meaningful experience to build the first model of LABA with Stephen’s guidance and in collaboration with my colleagues Basmat and Ruby. It is exciting to now be able to grow into a new capacity with LABA, sharing this journey with some fascinating fellow contemporary New York based artists and culture makers.
For me LABA holds a unique role in stimulating a rich cultural discourse relating to ancient Jewish text and contemporary culture and community, but first and foremost it offers a perspective in which artists are encouraged to join a long linage of wise commentators in interpreting the sacred - that is traveling through time, carrying legendary light, undoing / redoing 'Jewish Heritage' and finding a current creative pulse for it in our busy urban lives.
I hope you will find some of that in the newsletters and in the upcoming art projects.
Please note that I will continue to receive emails at anat_litwin@14streety.org.
News about my upcoming art projects and exhibitions will be posted on my new site.
Miracles & Light,
Anat Litwin
Artist, Art Editor LABAlights
TEVET
Tevet begins with the last days of Chanukah (which climax with its culminating, eighth day--Zot Chanukah). Its tenth day--the tenth day of the tenth month ("the tenth shall be holy to G-d")--is a fast day, in commemoration of the siege of Jerusalem, the beginning of the destruction of the Temple.
Read more about Tevet here.
Read more about Tevet here.
