In conjunction with their participation in American Express’
Partners in Preservation program, Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn has
commissioned BanG studio to design, fabricate, and erect an art installation
inside the synagogue’s main sanctuary. The given theme of the piece is Jacob’s
Ladder reflecting the synagogue’s special connection to the story.
In Genesis, Jacob stops for the night en route from the
house of his father, Isaac to Paddan-aram. He dreams of a ladder set upon the
earth and stretching to heaven. In his dream, angels ascend and descend the
ladder. God appears to Jacob promising the land on which he sleeps to him and
his descendants. When Jacob awakens he realizes that, “surely the Lord is in
this place, and I did not know it.”
Jacob’s Ladder by BanG (JLB) is a site-specific art
installation, which reinterprets the biblical story. The piece takes the form
of an enormous musical instrument which the public is encouraged to “play.” JLB
is constructed from 320 cardboard tubes and 80 metal tubes bolted and lashed
together into a twisting and torqueing ladder-like form.
Like the biblical Jacob’s Ladder, JLB inhabits a
transitional space. The first of the rungs can be seen from outside the
synagogue, drawing visitors up the stairs and in through the main doors. The
piece slithers through the entry vestibule and into the main sanctuary where it
curves left and climbs abruptly to connect to the Jacob’s Ladder depicted in
the synagogue’s stained glass window.
Along one side of the ladder 80 metal tubes are integrated
into the structure turning JLB into a playable musical instrument. These tubes
are pitched and arranged according the diatonic scale. Visitors are encouraged
to “play” the piece ascending and descending along the scale.
The mallets used to play JLB are to be fabricated and
customized by the children of Congregation Beth Elohim from a kit of parts supplied
by BanG studio. The kit consists of five differently sized wooden mallet heads,
wooden dowel shafts, and selection of fabrics and ribbons. Children will
assemble and decorate mallets. By virtue of their differing sizes and coverings
the mallets will produce different sounds when they are used to strike the
metal tubes. In this way each mallet is a tool for reinterpreting the
structure.