The starting point for David Behar-Perahia’s exhibition SpaceLight Vibrations is a study on the role played by natural light in the experience of visiting a museum. One of the questions he has sought to address was how light may dictate the way we perceive space visually, culturally and historically. A key chapter in this study focuses on the building of the Mishkan Museum of Art in Ein Harod – considered by many to be groundbreaking in its use of natural light, both locally and internationally. Museumarchitect Shmuel Bickels’ innovation lies in an overall and dramatic concept that ties the external and internal spaces together, and in the emphasis on the natural light emanating from the suspended ceilings. This combination gives the entire space an airy, floating quality. In that, the building has inspired architects from Israel and worldwide, including Louis Kahn and Renzo Piano.
Behar-Perahia’s installation refers to these elements and gives them an artistic interpretation. At its core are Bickels’ architectural values: the natural light displays that fill his halls, the sheer scale of the space with the four pillars at its center. With respect to these values, the artist creates a sculptural space that arouses a physical and visual experience that acts on all senses. This is achieved through delicate interventions in space: its complete darkening; regulation of the light entering through the upper windows using mechanical systems; and the placement of sculptural objects at the center of the space in a manner that dialogues with the original pillars. Combined, these artistic interventions highlight the modernistic qualities of the exhibition space and the spatial, geometric and architectural relations it embodies.