Synagogue / Sun

Instructions:

An ephemeral installation depending on light conditions and on the azimuth of the Sun related to the year’s seasons. A mirror disc positioned on the opposite side of the targeted object ( the synagogue ) is reflecting the sun rays for approximately 10 minutes until the angle of reflection changes so that it becomes invisible for the viewers and sets down under the horizon. The synagogue building now belongs to the town’s preservation area of Schemnitz and is also recorded in the UNESCO World Heritage list as well as in the Slovak National Heritage list. The artwork reacts to the controversial situation related to its renovation and to the change in the purpose of construction before finishing as well as to its past destiny. In 1941, it was forbidden to serve masses in the synagogue. In the 1950s, after it was closed as a religious temple, a tinsmith’s workshop was placed in its basement. The first floor was used for the premises of driving school.