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A Brand New Hole in the Sky

Statement

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Ziz is the giant Jewish beast of the air, companion to Behemoth (land) and Leviathan (sea). It protects small birds from danger with its sonorous cry and massive wings. 

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How can we possibly mourn all the dead at once?

We would have to be so large

Or else exactly the size we are

But quieter. 

 

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By bringing creatures from Jewish folklore into a contemporary context, A Brand New Hole in the Sky invokes ancient resilience. It unseats a pocket for our anger and our grief, for the genocide in Gaza, for the violence of a Trump administration, for our personal hardships. Amidst this turmoil Ziz sits silently against a backdrop of knit birds. Together the flock forms an anxious grey cloud, fleeing from danger and flying together toward safety.

 

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It is said that Ziz stands with its feet on the ocean floor and its head reaching the heavens. From this height it sings to God a song of hope, its center shining blue.