Appealing to

For thousands of years, people have been turning to supernatural powers to ask for protection and for their hopes to be fulfilled. Religious communities have found different ways to meet this need. In Judaism, tradition itself and prayer are of particular importance.

The special exhibition “Appealing to” presents two works that address this basic human need in completely different ways. Ofir Barak has used macro photography to capture the life of prayer slips wedged into the crevices of the Kotel, the Western Wall on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Israeli photographer’s black-and-white series Chrysalis presents a microscopic view of the paper’s organic structure and its slow decay, which distorts the original appearance of the slips of paper. Brought visually back to life, they speak of past wishes that seem to be in a state of dissolution. What hopes and dreams did they once hold? And did they ever come true?

Michael Bielicky’s Seventy-nine invites viewers to speak. The media sculpture consists of an LED ball on a bottle stand whose projection also has an acoustic dimension that resonates in the exhibition space. The sound is made up of AI answers, only partially intelligible, to visitors’ questions, requests, and wishes. Exhibition viewers can articulate these using a microphone. The contemporary golem the artist has created feels alien and unsettling. It acts on its own, yet at the same time it reacts to visitors’ prompts. Through this dual function, it carries Jewish legend into the age of artificial intelligence.

The opening will take place on Thursday, November 28, 2024 at 7 p.m.; media artist Michael Bielicky will be present. Email registration is requested at: eroeffnung.jmf@stadt-frankfurt.de

„Seventynine“ von Michael Bielicky und Kamila B. Richter lädt zum Gespräch ein. Die Medienskulptur besteht aus einer LED-Kugel auf einem Flaschenständer, dessen Projektion zugleich im Raum erschallt. Diese setzt sich aus – nur in Teilen verständlichen – Antworten einer Künstlichen Intelligenz auf Fragen, Bitten und Wünsche der Besuchenden zusammen. Diese können via Mikrophon gestellt oder artikuliert werden. Der vom Künstler erschaffene zeitgenössische Golem verfremdet und irritiert. Er agiert eigenständig und reagiert zugleich auf die Besuchenden. Seine doppelte Aktionsform überträgt die jüdische Legende in das Zeitalter der Künstlichen Intelligenz.

Die Vernissage findet am Donnerstag, 28. November 2024 um 19 Uhr in Anwesenheit des Medienkünstlers Michael Bielicky statt. Bitte melden Sie sich per E-Mail an: eroeffnung.jmf@stadt-frankfurt.de