Background

The story of ‘Confession’ began around 2003. Overwhelmed by technology and the speed of modern life, I was struggling hard with the concept of ‘progress’. I realized that as we progress technology wise, so our definition of “time” changes. We are getting too used to speed and efficiency, too used to immediate satisfactions and accessibility, that we tend to forget the basic things in life. We neglect Life itself. Coming from the Mediterranean — Israel, growing up in walking distance from the sea, having the horizon over the sea as a constant reminder of the unknown, of eternity, and missing its presence in my life now (once I was relocated to New York), I decided to create my own ‘sea’, my own ‘horizon’. The more I was thinking about it, the more I found myself ‘confessing’ to having a dichotomist life; the wonderful benefits of progress, and the deep yearning for simplicity and purity.I was thinking of the two basic elements that reach beyond time and place: the sea and the desert. From that I developed the ‘secular confession booth’ where one can sit staring at the sea, contemplating, meditating, then moving to the next booth staring at the desert, and from there moving to the third booth: where in a dimmed lit mirror, one can look at oneself – the third prominent element, and contemplate on the passage of life and time, and confess to his/hers own truth. I built a mock-up at my studio, and sat there for hours meditating. Then I invited people, one at a time, to experience it and share their experience with me. The outcome was astonishing. From those conversations I realized that I wished to put this installation outdoors, where it is accessible to the public 24/7, and to allow those who wish to ‘disappear’ in this ‘confession booth’, to disappear to their own self, and meditate.

Project Description

‘Confession’ is a custom made room which is divided into three small booths. The first two booths contain a single chair and a monitor, (and a hidden DVD player), and the third booth contains a single chair and a mirror. Confession is an installation dealing with the conflict between the advantage of modernity and the significance of simplicity. It examines the implications that this conflict has on our senses, and the way it influences our cultural genetics. Confession is an interactive installation, and is set to be viewed by one person at a time.

Guidelines / ’the passage’

The viewer will enter into the first booth, where s/he will be sitting facing a screening of the sea waves (Booth #1).The monotonous sound of the waves is mixed with the sound of Seagulls and the sound of helicopters that are cruising above the land. Nature and urban sound are mixed to one. In the viewer’s own pace s/he will move to the next booth were s/he will be sitting facing a screening of the desert (Booth #2). Though the sound of wind is loud, the desert image looks still. However, while staring at the monitor, the viewer will notice the subtle change of the image, especially due to the movement of clouds and changes of light coming in and out behind the clouds. From there the viewer will move to a dimly lit booth,(Booth #3) were s/he will be sitting facing his/hers own reflection. The structure itself is simple, but the impact is very powerful.

*A red/green light with occupied/vacant sigh will be installed above the installation’s entrance, to allow the viewer the flexibility and time to contemplate and participate in the work without interference and with no time limit