Julia Elsas, Rain Machine, 2019
Performance
Wednesday, August 21st, 6pm
With Julia Elsas, Kenny Wollesen, Kirk Knuffke, and Mike Irwin.
The instrument sculptures on display in The Weight of the Temporary were created during Elsas’ participation in the 2018-2019 New Jewish Culture Fellowship. For this fellowship, she reimagined a mysterious biblical instrument, the Ugav, through a series of ceramic sculptures. The Ugav is mentioned only four times in the Bible, including in the very first description of musical instruments (Genesis 4:21). Contemporary interpretations of the Ugav describe it either as a reed instrument or a stringed instrument. Possibilities include: pipe, bagpipe, end-blown flute, vertical flute, water organ, panpipe, lute, harp, viola da gamba, or simply, a love charm.
Julia Elsas considers the Sonic Sculptures to be fully realized when they are being played.
