This, a quote from Heschel, in turn, quoted from amazing artist Mel Alexenberg’s blog/book:
In his poetic book, The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel emphasizes the sanctification of time in Jewish consciousness:
“Jewish ritual may be characterized as the art of significant forms in time, as architecture in time…. The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from results of creation to mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.
(Based on the section on ‘Honoring Human Diversity’ in Mel Alexenberg’s book The Future of Art in a Digital Age: From Hellenistic to Hebraic Consciousness)
Wow. Kindred spirits?
Greenpoint Shul door, on Av 7 (after damselfly flew away); the door isn't used as an entrance; I had to climb up.
An air vent, low, on the structure of the Chabad of Windsor Terrace; it was about to rain, or had rained. Av 8.
Alexenberg’s book looks pretty cool.
4 Comments
I like your Greenpoint shul door. My father Abraham owned a housewares store in Greepoint for 40 years where I lived for the first years of my life.
My new book is out! You’ll like it. Below is the text from the back cover of the book:
In The Future of Art in a Postdigital Age: From Hellenistic to Hebraic Consciousness (Intellect Books/University of Chicago Press, 2011) artist and educator Mel Alexenberg offers a vision of a postdigital future that reveals a paradigm shift from the Hellenistic to the Hebraic roots of western culture. The author surveys new art forms emerging from a postdigital age that address the humanization of digital technologies. He ventures beyond the digital to explore postdigital perspectives rising from creative encounters among art, science, technology, and human consciousness. The interrelationships between these perspectives demonstrate the confluence between postdigital art and the dynamic, open-ended Jewish structure of consciousness. Alexenberg’s pioneering artwork – a fusion of spiritual and technological realms – exemplifies the theoretical thesis of this investigation into interactive and collaborative forms that imaginatively envisage the vast potential of art in a postdigital future.
“This Hebraic-postmodern quest is for a dialogue midway on Jacob’s ladder where man and God, artist and society, and artwork and viewer/participant engage in ongoing commentary.”
– Prof. Randall Rhodes, Chairman, Department of Visual Art, Frostburg State University, Maryland, USA
“Mel Alexenberg, a very sophisticated artist and scholar of much experience in the complex playing field of art-science-technology, addresses the rarely asked question: How does the ‘media magic’ communicate content?”
– Prof. Otto Piene, Director Emeritus, Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
“This is a wonderful and important book.”
– Dr. Ron Burnett, President, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, Canada
“The author succeeds in opening a unique channel to the universe of present and future art in a highly original and inspiring way.”
– Prof. Michael Bielicky, Director, Institute for Postdigital Narratives, University of Art and Design / ZKM Center of Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany
“This book is simply a must read analysis for anyone interested in where we and the visual arts are going in our future.”
– Dr. Moshe Dror, President, World Network of Religious Futurists, and Israel Coordinator, World Future Society
Read the “Tune out, Turn off, Unplug” section about shabbat in a postdigital era in my newest book.
Thanks for this. I shall check it out! As it turns out, I am in the process of editing some of your words about postdigital expression for elke Reva Sudin’s new publication. Do you know of it? Maybe you would like to add ‘pull quote’ for her book, as well?
A meaningful Omer period to you,
Sarah
Yes, I do know Elke and her energetic web publication that I follow. I learned about her work from the cover story about her in PrattFolio sent to alumni of Pratt. Mywife Miriam earned her MFA there and I was head of the Pratt art dept. 1985-1990. Did you see the blogart project that Miriam and I are doing? http://torahtweets.blogspot.com