I thought some of you , might be interest in this interview , that was printed in a Catalog , of an exhinbition where some of my Fiberart appeared. -------- Mirjam Bruck-Cohen
1943 Born in Switzerland. Immigrated to Israel from the Netherlands in 1950. Lives and works in Haifa. 1960-1961 Studied at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem 1962-1964 Evening Studies at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 1964-1966 Studied at Haifa University 1981-1983 Studied Weaving at Boston University, USA Selected Solo Exhibitions 1995 "Woman with Threads," Beit Hayotzer Gallery, Haifa 2001 "Mapressions Loci," Mishkan Le'omanut, Museum of Art, Ein Harod Since 1984 has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Israel and abroad. Mirjam Bruck-Cohen: Woven Textures and Urban Architecture "Both pieces are part of a body of work I created during 1993-2001, which was exhibited at the Mishkan Le'omanut, Museum of Art, Ein Harod in 2001 under the title Mapressions Loci. Regarding the work Shfar'am Landscape - Residential Neighborhood (2001) - I was familiar with the town of Shfar'am. I live in the area; I knew its history and was aware of its Jewish history. It was an important Jewish settlement in the Sanhedrin period, and only later was it 'covered' by non-Jewish (Arab, Bedouin, Templar) strata. As part of our argument with our neighbors, I find the attempt to hide the Jewish history that ostensibly did not exist disturbing, an attempt that lends the debate a false dimension, distorting the facts. Therefore I wanted to show that the town of Shfar'am is a 'marked settlement.' It reminds me of a postal envelope that shifts from hand. to hand and is stamped with different stamps, one atop the other, or an ancient book that many hands leaf through and signs of perspiration, grease, coffee, etc. stain its pages. The map was knitted, a medium generally used to prepare garments with which we cover ourselves. The covering is not only for purposes of warmth, but it is also intended to conceal and camouflage. Thus, the technique in my work acquires a conceptual meaning. Moreover, knitting is flexible, it stretches and shrinks, and in the context of a map, this has territorial implications. The 'holes' in the map are intentional. First, 'holes' in knitting indicate damage and wear; second, the 'holes' in the work expose that which hides beneath the cover: Sanhedrin, synagogue, etc. As for The Architect's Vision - The Client's Whim (1996), this work has different meanings pertaining to time. When I began working on the project with the late Dov Chernobroda, he gave me maps that he had already drafted and which were already executed for the most part. As for the neighborhood depicted in this particular wo , asked him to show me the entire process from the very beginning, and he told me about the specific neighbo ood from the moment that he received the commission until the implementation of the model. That specific map was never realized and remained a vision. Since I was present in parts of the place's planning process, thought it would be right to incorporate the architect's face and handprint, interwoven as a natural part of the ap. The crisscross threads were selected according to the official colors customary in urban maps. Through the weaving technique, however, I emphasized certain colors, thereby rendering the work more colorful, while the colored sections remain integral to the general map. The architect's portrait became a significant element for the map and for the image represented in it, since in March 2002, six months after the work was exhibited in Ein Harod, he was killed in a terrorist attack at the Matza restaurant in Haifa. As a result, the work acquired an added dimension for me: a memory picture. A peace activist, Dov promoted construction in Arab and Palestinian settlements, for the benefit of the Arab community and in order to form relations with the Palestinian Authority. He conducted meetings and conversations with high-ranking officials in the Palestinian Authority, but was eventually murdered by its emissaries, five minutes from home. In this respect, the work became "stamped" with wonder, pain and many questions for which I have no answers." [From a conversation with the artist conducted by Haim Maor] translated into English by Daria Kassovsky To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
