Five books and a stone lay in a box, or geniza, exploring the concepts behind this receptacle, and the idea of names & the written word as sacred. My interest here is in the context of inter-linearity: to consider what can we know from words and what is the meaning of the written word, both sacred and profane. ​

 

Book 1: Geniza

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The first book presents the meaning of geniza: the name of the receptacle reserved for papers that have the name of God on them. Jewish belief holds that the name (the word) deserves the respect equal to a human burial so pieces of detritus are collected in genizas and buried instead of thrown away. 

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This book contains my interpretation in three parts: a carbon copy repeat text ("Nothing is, Until uttered in a clear voice"), a faux school assignment, and an embedded page of an actual prayer book.​

 

Book 2: GOD

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The second book presents a selection of the many names of gods in multiple religions, all watermarked and thus hidden within the translucent paper. Without a close examination of the pages, the book appears almost blank. In contrast, its title on the cover is made in raised Braille dots. 

(A list of the religions and names included here is in the colophon booklet).

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Book 3: Say My Name

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Below the first two books lay the others, which contextualize the geniza theme in a contemporary context. A small folder holds a set of paper cards that the viewer can mix ’n match their printed texts to spell out:

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SAY MY / SAY OUR / SAY HIS / SAY HER / — on one side of the cards; 

And on the other sides: N - A -  M -  E. 

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Book 4: Shemot = Names

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The pamphlet’s title references Shemot, meaning Names in Hebrew, but it is also the word used for Sacred Manuscripts. Laid out like an accounting book, this booklet contains the names and ages of the children killed in the Israeli/Gaza conflict, May 2021.

 

Stone: The hand-sewn bag is made of a wool blanket and holds a stone made of Thassos marble. In Jewish tradition, a stone is placed on a tombstone as the act of honoring and remembering. Then again, stones also are projectiles in numerous present-day conflicts.

 

Book 5: Each of us has a Name

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After the October 7, 2023 attacks and subsequent war between Israel and Hamas, I felt it imperative to add yet another booklet to this set. This pamphlet contains a poem of the same name by Ukrainian Holocaust survivor, Zelda, along with my words honoring all the unnamed children harmed in conflicts around the world. ​A hardcover book has been produced with similar content and title, in an open series.

 

In the bottom of the box is a colophon, bound as a double pamphlet.

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Winner of the 2020 Isaac Anolic Book Arts Award​