Leftover from the void (details)

Leftover from the void
(Les résidus du vide)

In 2018 times were turning turbulent. Authoritarian popularism was steeply rising as were xenophobic attacks in the rural Alsatian region where this project was staged. This was not the first time. The region had once witnessed a thriving jewish community with over 200 synagogues. Following Nazi occupation the communities disappeared. Now peoples' collective memory of the past were also disappearing.

Working with the Jewish Council (CIBR) and regional authorities this award winning, large-scale artistic project took place in one such long empty and vandalised synagogues. Through this forgotten building, it looked to revive memories of the past and place it's history in the context of the current political landscape.

The project began with a period of research - historical archives, speaking with the town’s residents and businesses, local politicians and the older generations. We also consulted with archaeological and political science experts.

The principle artwork involved a large scale installation constructed inside the synagogue. It drew on the remarkable Islamic-inspired stained glass windows. Their sunlit reflections appear naturally on the ground. The light fades and grows like the passing of a fleeting cloud. The windows are systematically boarded up however the sunlight continues to remain in place. The installation also interacts with found objects and relics from the building. One by one, they are removed from their plinth while their cast shadows remain unchanged.

The installation remained in situ for six months. It brought people from around the region, schools, tourists and historians; attracting over 4 000 visitors. The success of the project was reflected through the widespread attention received in the mainstream press and media and the winner of prestigious art prizes in France and Germany; it received funds and donations of up to 25 000 euros from public bodies, private foundations and individuals. To keep the issues on the table, original off-shoot artworks and photographic editions were created. In subsequent years, these have gone on to be selected for exhibition in galleries and museums in Switzerland, the UK, France and Germany. These included the National State Museum of Karlsrûhe (Germany) and the Wilson Contemporary (UK). The short film has been the subject of academic conferences in Brighton and Helsinki around the rise of authoritarian populism.