Memorial Day Cube

This installation explores the fusing of busy car sounds with the Memorial Day siren in Tel-Aviv, Israel in a sterile, white environment. On the one hand, I attempted to mimic a 'white cube' but instead of creating a cold, distant atmosphere, the white sheets provoked a comforting, cozy, and intimate feeling. However, this ambience completely juxtaposes the alarming and unpleasant sounds blasted from two hidden speakers hidden to the right and to the left of my makeshift 'white cube'. White is also a very symbolic color in Judaism- bodies are wrapped in white cloth in preparation for burial.

In my opinion, the siren- which is meant to evoke a moment of silence, respect, admiration, and mourning for our fallen soldiers, paired with ordinary yet unpleasant car sounds (which one always hears directly before and after the state-wide siren) with the bed-sheets create an almost surrealistic experience. The terrible sounds that the 'viewer’ experiences in this confined space can be described as agonizing and distressful, reminiscent of torture methods utilized by the CIA where music is blasted on full volume in the cells of inmates.

My approach was experimental, to say the least. I had to be resourceful with my materials and with my surroundings. I didn’t have a clear ‘product’ in mind when I set out to create this sound installation. However, I am more than pleased with the result, especially considering this is my first sound-related piece.