JERUSALEM: THE WESTERN WALL PORTFOLIO

Frederic Brenner ©1996 Jews/America/A Representation

THE ARTISTS PERSPECTIVE

While researching for text to accompany the Western Wall's exhibit images I came across a Frederic Brenner photograph from his 1996 book; Jews/America/A Representation. Brenner chose iconic Jewish places and props to stage the many images in his book that represent the stereotypical perception of Jews by Jews. It¹s interesting to note he chose a Western Wall backdrop with appropriate wardrobe to the side representing the very act documented ten years later in my project series Push Button Memories: Landmarks Worldwide. Jerusalem¹s Western Wall was the last location I visited for Push Button Memories: Landmarks Worldwide. I chose this iconic place of the Jewish people, first because I¹m a Jew, but more importantly to demonstrate the premise of the project. If people do make push button memories of themselves and others to create a record of their being there at such a holy place, where does the difference in the nature of the act lie between let¹s say Paris¹ Eiffel Tower or Jerusalem¹s Western Wall? The answer lies in the personal meanings we bring to each of these places and what they signify to us. Look closely at the Wall¹s stones. Look at the tens of thousands of messages, stuffed like mortar between the crevasses, all carrying words of hope, joy, fear, regret and sadness. These 20 images documented in January of 2006 are even more poignant now when one considers that many of the young men and women pictured probably were called to the latest conflict in the Middle East. What words did they leave, what prayers did they make?

Photographer, Orin Rutchick