JÜDISCHES MUSEUM FRANKFURT ART INSTALLATION PROPOSAL Ori Gersht & Delvendahl Martin Architects
THE WELL
Since ancient times the well is considered as the source of life and of all creative potential. This interpretation may account for the metaphysical significance of the pregnancy symbolism. Well is the ground of all being. It may also be considered as the plenitude of the void and is seen as a constant upwelling of possibility, freedom and potential. In the bible the mystical phenomenon known as Miriam s Well, was a rolling rock that accompanied the Jewish people on their wanderings provided fresh water in the desert, not only for the people but also for their cattle and sheep. It also made the desert bloom with green pastures and beautifully scented flowers. For our proposition we would like to appropriate the well for its physical and symbolic properties, we would like to create an immersive experience that would connect the ephemeral nature of memory with the history of Frankfurt s Jewish community and its creative and cultural contribution to Germany and the world. Inspired by the Miriam mystical phenomenon, we are intending to build a Well that will be housed inside a large architectural rock. The rock will be shaped in the image of a small local stone that we have found upon one of the Holocaust victims memorial tablets which were embedded in the surrounding wall of Frankfurt s old Jewish cemetery. In Jewish tradition stones are often left upon graves to indicating that the individual s memory continues to live on in and through us.
Through the act of enlargement the stone becomes a sign for and a symbol of the Jewish Community that is awarded with dignity, respect and significance.
Located at the edge of the Lichthof, carefully balanced against the adjacent roof terrace, this large geological stone-like structure will appear as if dropped from the sky.
At odds with its surrounding it will evoke the memory of its origin, of the Frankfurt Ghetto and its community.
In order to enter into the rock, the visitor will have to step from the roof terrace onto a small cantilevering bridge leading to an opening.
Crossing the bridge, the visitor will then enter through a dark corridor passage before approaching the well.
On arrival, the viewer will be invited to peer into the dark void of the well and to immerse in an audiovisual experience.
From the depth of the well, floating portraits of individuals who lived, worked and contributed to Frankfurt s Jewish legacy will slowly emerge.
Appearing from a point of singularity the portraits will gradually become larger as if upwelling or travelling weightlessly towards the viewers. At a point, the expanding portraits will begin to disintegrate.
As the pixels, the fundamental particles of the image, begin to separate from each other, they gradually become more and more disperse, transforming into a cosmic, galactic spray. Due to the smooth architectural curvatures of the design and its physical depth, the trajected pixels will appear as if travelling through the space. Portrait after portrait, they will emerge, some well known, other anonymous. Over time, visitors to the museum will be invited to introduce new images of their Jewish relatives that were part of the demographic history of the city. Every few months the new images could be uploaded into the eternal sequence. This dynamic installation could evolve over time, like a spewing fountain that never cease, hundreds or even thousands of portraits will cyclically float through the space. The sound of the installation will be very minimal, an ambiance resonance of the emergence, slow and spatial. To maintain the poetic quality and to avoid a didactic treatment, written information about the appearing individuals will be provided in electronic form which can easily be updated and maintained to make it future-proof.
At night when the museum is closed and access to the well is prohibited, bypassers will be able to experience a glowing horizontal slit in the centre of the rock. The delicate cut enhances the fragility and establishes dialectical tension between the mass of the rock and the ephemerality of the well.
TECHNICAL RESOLUTION & MATERIALS
0 1 2 5 0 0 1 1 2.5 2.5 5 5 10 10 Whilst conceived as a conceptual stone, the materiality and technical detailing of the installation has been developed to correspond to the specific setting and parameters of the site.
In order to minimize the weight of the overall installation and to not exceed the stipulated loading (5 KN/m 2 ) on the structural slab of the courtyard (Lichthof) is constructed from lightweight materials and assembled from three different components.
The form and void within the stone will be constructed in two parts, firstly to simplify production and handling of the components but also to create the illuminated slit at the junction between the two parts. Fibreglass or GRC will be used to construct the outer and inner shell and to create the illusion of a stone surface. A digital 3D scan of the original stone will be utilized to generate a series of moulds that define the outer surface of the shell. Lightweight void formers within the shape will provide additional rigidity and strength. The body of the installation will be connected to a steel spreader plate foundation to distribute the main vertical load of the installation across a larger area of the structural slab below. The actual well is conceived as pre-made metal or fibreglass tube with a highly absorbent projection finish and serving as a support for the projection screen and equipment. The connecting bridge is envisaged as a steel plate construction, anchored into the parapet of the roof terrace and providing lateral support for the installation. The solid side balustrades act as structural beams, allowing the bridge to cantilever and support the weight of visitors entering the installation.
Steel Bridge Precast Moulded Inner Shell Precast Moulded Outer Shell Void Former Lightweight LED Lighting Fixing Structure Steel Bars Spreader plate foundation 0 1 2.5 5 10 0 0.5 1 2 5 0 1 2.5 5 10 Technical section through the proposed construction outlining the key components and interfaces with the building.
BIBLIOGRAPHY A comprehensive index of names, information and image material will be generated consulting the archive and expertise of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt as well as the following sources (amongst others): Ele Toldot: a list of all the Jewish people that lived in Frankfurt (Centre of Jewish History) Avotaynu Online: Jewish Genealogy & Family History (http://www.avotaynuonline.com/2010/10/leading-genealogical-resource-for-frankfurt-am-main-jewry-now-online-by-arline-sachs/) Index of Jewish Families in Frankfurt: (http://goldschmidt.tripod.com/surnames.htm) Elon, Amos: The Pity of It All: A Portrait of Jews In Germany 1743 1933 Elon, Amos: Founder. Meyer Amschel Rothschild and his Time. London, HarperCollins, 1996 Ferguson, Niall: The House of Rothschild: Money s Prophets. 1998 Heuberger, Georg (Ed.): The Rothschilds. A European Family. Sigmaringen, Thorbecke / Suffolk, Boydell & Brewer, 1994. Family Frank Centre: http://www.familiefrankzentrum.de/home.html?&fsize=0%22&l=1 The Yad Vashem Archive: http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/about/archive/