Song of Songs

Song of Songs is a tribute to the many victims of everlasting war in Western Asia. The Song of Songs, the last “scroll” in the Hebrew Bible, has its origins in the Sumerian tradition as a celebration of love and the sacred marriage between Inanna — the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, beauty, sex, war, justice, and political power — and Dumuzi — the ancient Mesopotamian god of shepherds. Alas, the ancient love between Inanna and Dumuzi is forgotten, and has been replaced with bombing.

The images of bomb explosions in this work are drawn from photographs of explosions taken in Gaza during the 2014 war, when Israel dropped an estimated 8,000 bombs and 70,000 artillery shells, or 20,000 tons of explosives (the equivalent of two low-yield tactical nuclear weapons) on civilians below.

Those who survive these devastating bombings often suffer from long-term hearing damage or even complete deafness. Song of Songs has no sound other than the hissing whir of LED lights rapidly turning on and off, mimicking the feel of tinnitus.