In
one corner of the area of the synagogue, where the
Scrolls of the Law were kept, four trumpet-shaped
loudspeakers transmit the gentle, insinuating voice
of the Scottish artist. The song is Rosa, an anthem
in remembrance of the great revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg
and her companion Karl Leibneicht, which is very popular
in Germany and often sung during political demonstrations.
On being adapted for the synagogue and played in the
most sacred area once reserved for prayer, however,
the anthem loses its combative, militant character
to become practically a dirge. Philipsz uses music
and song “to bring an audience back to their
environment (…) to make you more aware of the
place you are in while heightening your own sense
of self”. The location of the work is therefore
very important and the place becomes the visual element.
The music performed by the artist herself is thus
not designed to produce alienation and escapism –
as often happens, especially in “live”
events – but rather rootedness, to trigger personal
and collective memory through harmony or contrast
with the setting. |
