Alley Art: Genesis Creation/תהו ובהו (Order from Darkness) West 7th Neighborhood, St. Paul

 

The 'Formless and Void' spoken of in Genesis 1 (תהו ובהו) has always been one of my favorite topics both theologically and artistically.  This project started as a simple abstract light project, but as I worked on it over the past months it gradually changed into another of my תהו ובהו pieces.  The sculpture is meant to be seen at night (optimized during the winter months, especially with snow) with our alley representing the תהו ובהו and then the sculpture (from right to left) represents the starting point of creation through the mythical seven days of creation - one of the four creation narratives in the Hebrew Bible (note: myth does not mean "false" it's a certain type of grand narrative in literature).  The seven LED ropes represent the seven days of creation being ordered (contra the Enuma Elish of Mesopotamian fame), and then the far left of the sculpture represents moving from the ordering to the flourishing of creation. 

Materials used include steel pipes (formerly a swing set), cement, stainless steel screws and washers, fishing wire, LED rope lights, zip ties, and LED bulbs.