Tending to Seeds of Sweetness 2024
A dress that inhaled a talit that inhaled a sukka.
fabric, date palm tree fronds (Lulav) and inflorescence (Sansanim), date fruit perianth, ceramics.
32’x20’
performers: Elisheva Gavra and Ye'ela Wilschanski
commissioned by and produced The Neighbourhood: Rebecca Guber, Roxana Fabius, Martine Duffy, Logan Schulman
photos: Maya Baran, Elisheva Gavra, Ye'ela Wilschanski
wood structure: Luria
Tending to Seeds of Sweetness is an art installation by Ye’ela Wilschanski in the form of a Sukkah–a temporary, outdoor, architectural dwelling rebuilt annually to house the celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
One of Sukkot’s central rituals involves the ceremonial shaking and blessing of the lulav– a bundle of leaves from three species of trees: palm, myrtle, and willow, held alongside the etrog, or citron. The long palm frond at the center of the lulav serves as the inspiration for Tending Seeds of Sweetness, opening up profound ideas about intention and spatial relationships. The prickly palm frond carries the memory of the sweet date fruit produced by the same palm tree. The date itself contains a seed which holds the potential of becoming roots, trunks, fronds, and flower clusters, beginning the plant cycle over again.
Through this imagery, Wilschanski evokes cycles of nourishment and time, which are often marked through ritual celebrations, like those distinct to the holiday of Sukkot. These observances include prayers, rituals, and festive communal meals enjoyed in the Sukkah, and are often focused on the ephemerality of life, and the importance of welcoming strangers into shared space. Wilschanski interprets the symbols of the holiday using her own distinct artistic vocabulary, making use of basket-weaving, sewing, crochet, and pottery, and drawing on various elements of the palm tree as her physical materials. Wilschanski also creates architectural garments–a term she uses to describe the time-based wearable sculptures she creates and performs within. Her practice uses textiles to create visual storytelling sequences with her moving body in relation to garments she sews, inspired by architecture. Wilschanski describes her Sukkah as a visual prayer–an offering that contains a vision for an abundantly sweet reality.
Another central aspect of the installation is the reappropriation of the lulav. In the Orthodox tradition within which Wilschanski was educated, the ritual of the lulav was reserved exclusively for men. Tending to Seeds of Sweetness transfers this rite to embrace the poetic, feminine, and functional nature of the craftwork on display.
According to those same traditions, when an object is blessed and used as part of a ritual it is sanctified, but, by the same token, becomes obsolete. And yet, in the case of the palm tree, the material has infinite potential for weaving. While the religious and ritual functions are sacred, Wilschanski’s piece asserts that the craft of reuse, the earthiness, and the everyday-quality of the repurposed materials is equally sacred. For this piece, she has gathered previously-blessed lulavs and other parts of the palm tree, and given them new life through their integration on the textile panels and the sculptures that compose the Sukkah. Wilschanski challenges the traditions that terminate the life cycle of the plant as material through domestic craftwork, creating a new sanctification of the palm tree in all of its life stages, from seed to leaf.
Wilschanski has used the date seeds that can be found throughout the Sukkah in her practice for years—holding them in her hand, leaving them in her pocket, and keeping them as a talisman that connects her to the earth—as an object eternally containing the potential for life. Holding the seed is a grounding practice. This Sukkah is built as a grounding space; a sad and silent prayer for all of us; a space that holds life through this week of celebrations.
The power of art lies in its ability to offer us visions of another life–one that looks different, feels different, and offers us the possibility of being seen. The subtle magic of Tending to Seeds of Sweetness is that, at first glance, it appears like any other white Sukkah. But, as we draw near, we discover the profound meaning of each element, collectively forming a living symbol of care, attention, and interdependence.
Tending to Seeds of Sweetness was commissioned and produced by The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life as part of the 2024 Sukkot in The Neighborhood festival.
Roxana Fabius
Tending to Seeds of Sweetness 2024
A dress that inhaled a talit that inhaled a sukka.
fabric, date palm tree fronds (Lulav) and inflorescence (Sansanim), date fruit perianth, ceramics.
32’x20’
performers: Elisheva Gavra and Ye'ela Wilschanski
commissioned by and produced The Neighbourhood: Rebecca Guber, Roxana Fabius, Martine Duffy, Logan Schulman
photos: Maya Baran, Elisheva Gavra, Ye'ela Wilschanski
wood structure: Luria
Tending to Seeds of Sweetness is an art installation by Ye’ela Wilschanski in the form of a Sukkah–a temporary, outdoor, architectural dwelling rebuilt annually to house the celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
One of Sukkot’s central rituals involves the ceremonial shaking and blessing of the lulav– a bundle of leaves from three species of trees: palm, myrtle, and willow, held alongside the etrog, or citron. The long palm frond at the center of the lulav serves as the inspiration for Tending Seeds of Sweetness, opening up profound ideas about intention and spatial relationships. The prickly palm frond carries the memory of the sweet date fruit produced by the same palm tree. The date itself contains a seed which holds the potential of becoming roots, trunks, fronds, and flower clusters, beginning the plant cycle over again.
Through this imagery, Wilschanski evokes cycles of nourishment and time, which are often marked through ritual celebrations, like those distinct to the holiday of Sukkot. These observances include prayers, rituals, and festive communal meals enjoyed in the Sukkah, and are often focused on the ephemerality of life, and the importance of welcoming strangers into shared space. Wilschanski interprets the symbols of the holiday using her own distinct artistic vocabulary, making use of basket-weaving, sewing, crochet, and pottery, and drawing on various elements of the palm tree as her physical materials. Wilschanski also creates architectural garments–a term she uses to describe the time-based wearable sculptures she creates and performs within. Her practice uses textiles to create visual storytelling sequences with her moving body in relation to garments she sews, inspired by architecture. Wilschanski describes her Sukkah as a visual prayer–an offering that contains a vision for an abundantly sweet reality.
Another central aspect of the installation is the reappropriation of the lulav. In the Orthodox tradition within which Wilschanski was educated, the ritual of the lulav was reserved exclusively for men. Tending to Seeds of Sweetness transfers this rite to embrace the poetic, feminine, and functional nature of the craftwork on display.
According to those same traditions, when an object is blessed and used as part of a ritual it is sanctified, but, by the same token, becomes obsolete. And yet, in the case of the palm tree, the material has infinite potential for weaving. While the religious and ritual functions are sacred, Wilschanski’s piece asserts that the craft of reuse, the earthiness, and the everyday-quality of the repurposed materials is equally sacred. For this piece, she has gathered previously-blessed lulavs and other parts of the palm tree, and given them new life through their integration on the textile panels and the sculptures that compose the Sukkah. Wilschanski challenges the traditions that terminate the life cycle of the plant as material through domestic craftwork, creating a new sanctification of the palm tree in all of its life stages, from seed to leaf.
Wilschanski has used the date seeds that can be found throughout the Sukkah in her practice for years—holding them in her hand, leaving them in her pocket, and keeping them as a talisman that connects her to the earth—as an object eternally containing the potential for life. Holding the seed is a grounding practice. This Sukkah is built as a grounding space; a sad and silent prayer for all of us; a space that holds life through this week of celebrations.
The power of art lies in its ability to offer us visions of another life–one that looks different, feels different, and offers us the possibility of being seen. The subtle magic of Tending to Seeds of Sweetness is that, at first glance, it appears like any other white Sukkah. But, as we draw near, we discover the profound meaning of each element, collectively forming a living symbol of care, attention, and interdependence.
Tending to Seeds of Sweetness was commissioned and produced by The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life as part of the 2024 Sukkot in The Neighborhood festival.
Roxana Fabius
Tending to Seeds of Sweetness 2024
A dress that inhaled a talit that inhaled a sukka.
fabric, date palm tree fronds (Lulav) and inflorescence (Sansanim), date fruit perianth, ceramics.
32’x20’
performers: Elisheva Gavra and Ye'ela Wilschanski
commissioned by and produced The Neighbourhood: Rebecca Guber, Roxana Fabius, Martine Duffy, Logan Schulman
photos: Maya Baran, Elisheva Gavra, Ye'ela Wilschanski
wood structure: Luria
Tending to Seeds of Sweetness is an art installation by Ye’ela Wilschanski in the form of a Sukkah–a temporary, outdoor, architectural dwelling rebuilt annually to house the celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
One of Sukkot’s central rituals involves the ceremonial shaking and blessing of the lulav– a bundle of leaves from three species of trees: palm, myrtle, and willow, held alongside the etrog, or citron. The long palm frond at the center of the lulav serves as the inspiration for Tending Seeds of Sweetness, opening up profound ideas about intention and spatial relationships. The prickly palm frond carries the memory of the sweet date fruit produced by the same palm tree. The date itself contains a seed which holds the potential of becoming roots, trunks, fronds, and flower clusters, beginning the plant cycle over again.
Through this imagery, Wilschanski evokes cycles of nourishment and time, which are often marked through ritual celebrations, like those distinct to the holiday of Sukkot. These observances include prayers, rituals, and festive communal meals enjoyed in the Sukkah, and are often focused on the ephemerality of life, and the importance of welcoming strangers into shared space. Wilschanski interprets the symbols of the holiday using her own distinct artistic vocabulary, making use of basket-weaving, sewing, crochet, and pottery, and drawing on various elements of the palm tree as her physical materials. Wilschanski also creates architectural garments–a term she uses to describe the time-based wearable sculptures she creates and performs within. Her practice uses textiles to create visual storytelling sequences with her moving body in relation to garments she sews, inspired by architecture. Wilschanski describes her Sukkah as a visual prayer–an offering that contains a vision for an abundantly sweet reality.
Another central aspect of the installation is the reappropriation of the lulav. In the Orthodox tradition within which Wilschanski was educated, the ritual of the lulav was reserved exclusively for men. Tending to Seeds of Sweetness transfers this rite to embrace the poetic, feminine, and functional nature of the craftwork on display.
According to those same traditions, when an object is blessed and used as part of a ritual it is sanctified, but, by the same token, becomes obsolete. And yet, in the case of the palm tree, the material has infinite potential for weaving. While the religious and ritual functions are sacred, Wilschanski’s piece asserts that the craft of reuse, the earthiness, and the everyday-quality of the repurposed materials is equally sacred. For this piece, she has gathered previously-blessed lulavs and other parts of the palm tree, and given them new life through their integration on the textile panels and the sculptures that compose the Sukkah. Wilschanski challenges the traditions that terminate the life cycle of the plant as material through domestic craftwork, creating a new sanctification of the palm tree in all of its life stages, from seed to leaf.
Wilschanski has used the date seeds that can be found throughout the Sukkah in her practice for years—holding them in her hand, leaving them in her pocket, and keeping them as a talisman that connects her to the earth—as an object eternally containing the potential for life. Holding the seed is a grounding practice. This Sukkah is built as a grounding space; a sad and silent prayer for all of us; a space that holds life through this week of celebrations.
The power of art lies in its ability to offer us visions of another life–one that looks different, feels different, and offers us the possibility of being seen. The subtle magic of Tending to Seeds of Sweetness is that, at first glance, it appears like any other white Sukkah. But, as we draw near, we discover the profound meaning of each element, collectively forming a living symbol of care, attention, and interdependence.
Tending to Seeds of Sweetness was commissioned and produced by The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life as part of the 2024 Sukkot in The Neighborhood festival.
Roxana Fabius