Ghiora-TDD1
The Divine Domesticated
Site-specific installations in New York City of The Divine Domesticated series explore the connection between the divine and the domestic, a harmonious yet complex relationship centrally embedded in our society.
Ruminating on the relatedness of the word “home” in Hebrew and Arabic (they share the same root word are homophonic) Aharoni transformed phrases from religious text, fusing Hebrew and Arabic to create a new Hebrabic/Arabrew© script, which is legible in each language.
Using this new synthesis of languages as a metaphorical framework, Aharoni explores the complex and interwoven interaction between men, women and God. This linguistic hybrid is both iconographic and enigmatic, and in turn becomes an invitation to contemplate the phrases’ meanings as well as their larger significance.
The interplay of the sculptures’ scale with public spaces creates an specific spatial dialogue with the viewer. The large scale magnifies the phrases’ import and their mirrored surfaces allow viewers to “see themselves” in the phrases as they experience them, creating a metaphorical placement of the individual within the phrases.