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Jerusalem holds a unique place in theconsciousness of the western world: it isthe birthplace of monotheism and theworld's great spiritual center. At theJaffa Gate entrance to Jerusalem's OldCity stands the Tower of David and the700-year old Citadel, built on a sitethat was pivotal to the city'sfortifications for 2,700 years. It standsbetween east and west, and between oldand new, at the heart of 4,000 years ofhistory and the development of theworld's three major monotheisticreligions. Today, the Citadel houses The Tower ofDavid Museum of the History of Jerusalem,which recounts Jerusalem's history with abalanced focus on the importance andsignificance of the city to the world'sthree major monotheistic religions. TheCitadel is also well known as a place forcultural and educational activities,including concerts, special artinstallations and other unique events. A Fusing of Ancient and Modern Art Forms: Chihuly In Jerusalem The tower of DavidMuseum is proud to be mounting anexhibition of glass installations by theAmerican artist Dale Chihuly, the world'spremiere artist whose medium is glass. Four thousand years ago, the Canaanites,living in this region, made glass beads.But their material was incidental to theform created, and often the glass wasmade to look like marble, which was morehighly prized. Two thousand years later,in the eastern Mediterranean, mandiscovered how to blow glass and began tocreate forms which made glass-itsproperties and nature-central to thecreated work. For the two thousand yearsfollowing, artists have been exploringthe possibilities of shaping glass intofragile forms. Yet no one has brought itto a higher level of creativity thanChihuly. In exploring the sculpturalpotential of glass, Chihuly hasconfounded expectations, shatteredboundaries, and expanded the scale anduses of glass with fanciful technique,historical reference, aggressive shapes,and luscious forms. Chihuly was drawn to Israel after a briefvisit in the summer of 1997, and wasstruck by its importance as thebirthplace of both glassmaking andglassblowing. Early glass works found inIsrael strongly resemble Chihuly'sorganic forms. He hopes to createartworks that are both an homage to theancient glass traditions of the MiddleEast and an impetus to revitalizeglassmaking in the area. As in his otherprojects, Chihuly will collaborate withglassblowers from the region, bothIsraeli and Palestinian, to produce aportion of the glass parts for hissculptures. This message of coexistenceis particularly suited to the Citadel'smission to recount objectively and fairlyall the periods of Jerusalem's history. A Jewish legend relates that ten measuresof beauty were given to the world at thetime of its creation. Jerusalem receivednine of them. To this day, beauty is atthe heart of this city; in its spiritualimportance; in its merging of old andnew; in the incredible golden quality ofits light. Surely, Chihuly's encounterwith Jerusalem was inevitable. Themounting of his installations over thecity will be a fitting celebration of themillennium, and herald the next twothousand years of artistry in glass. Dale Chihuly |
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