Materials & Technique: Wild raw clay, ceramics, steel
600cm
In Hebrew, the word "A-yin" (עין) means "Eye". With a small letter change the word "Ein" (אין) means "nothingness". Interestingly, the combination "Ein Ha'se'ara" which means "The Eye of the Storm" sounds in Hebrew exactly like an opposite meaning "There is no storm", which is exactly what happens at the Eye of the storm, it is a place of complete stillness. The name of this piece wishes to transmit this double meaning that is so clear to those who speak Hebrew.
This Altar was especially created for the 2017 Midburn Festival, which is the Israeli version of the Burning Man festival in Nevada US. It was a part of the legendary "To All Four" camp installation.
The Altar is actually the pupil of an enormous eye, 40-60 feet, sitting on the desert's ground. At the center of the Altar stands a huge iron basin which holds a fire that burns every day from sunrise to sunset throughout the festival
The Altar is assembled from 413 "Diamonds" - "gems" and "crystals hand made one by one from 700KG Playa dust and local clay, which we have collected for three nights in a row from the road leading to the festival. It felt right to collect the earth from this specific path; the idea was inspired by the thought "what kind of energy this earth holds? The earth that lies on a path on which 10,000 people are walking as they cross a magical gateway to a space of enchantment and radical expression…? A path on which they shed their daily self and relax into the unknown that the Playa holds for them… could this be the path to their free hearts?"
The work process included collecting the earth, filtering it, preparing clay, forging molds, cutting and polishing. most of the work process we were 4 people and later as the pressure increased we were joined by many more people that
worked with incredible and intense devotion for over a month. Working with earth, water and fire was extremely exciting and satisfying for me, since combined together they are the perfect expression of transformation – New material is born
The Altar's shape is circular ripples that the furthest they are from the center, the larger they get, all in accurate distances in order to create a sensation of opening as well as depth.
As always, my deepest intention was to create a sacred space which gives the viewer a sense of inner connection and contemplation, a resting place in the midst of the extreme chaos of Neon lights and cacophony of this extraordinary festival (Or the viewer's consciousness)
The ripple motive as well as the idea to organize them with extreme precision and symmetry came from the wish to support the viewer in reorganizing their scattered consciousness into a clear border in a most basic structure, one the resembles ovule or womb, creating a sense of security and containment.
I love the concept that says that our reality is a reflection of our inner state and feelings and that we are the creators of our lives, reflected in every single thing that we observe and interact with – and so the viewer sits close to the Altar, glancing at the fire and seeing themselves in the crystals and diamond shapes – pure, smooth, supported and held, and maybe for a brief moment they can perceive their own lives shining bright as diamonds, made of the same substance – star dust, earth, fire and water.
