The concrete columns Chaya Ruckin molds in the exhibition hall look like the familiar building foundations of the urban Israeli landscape: be they the kind of columns that can be seen in frames of new buildings in building sites, or those of old and crumbling buildings children used to play under until recent years. Returning to this foundational element raises questions regarding the attempt to create a solid and steady home. Yet the fact the columns are left bear with their tendons exposed leaves a sense of alienation in the air. On second look, it appears as if the columns can be lifted up (albeit with great effort) and transported elsewhere. Covered in pieces of gold, they remind one of the Ark of the Covenant being carried through the desert. They conjure up the possibility of starting again with the simplest formal and material foundation—albeit a foundation that remembers the past and carries a cultural baggage with it. The concrete columns are the pioneering spearhead, and the wonderment as to how to create a place in which life can be lived.
The CDA's archives are operating with the support of the Ostrovsky Family Fund and Artis
