Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives, Performance Series “GUT YONTIF: a patchwork holiday experience”
Rip (e) +Weep- One night participatory performance 10/20/24
Ripping our collective grief… nothing is permanent, all we can do is understand and protect our wounds.
“Ripe Weep” structure Eight 4ft x 8ft Welded Steel rebar frames with glass designed based on Louise Silks' quilt patterns built into Sukkah walls and performance space.
WESA Pittsburgh Interview with Bill O'Driscoll https://www.wesa.fm/arts-sports-culture/2024-10-17/pittsburgh-artists-heinz-history-center-jewish-holidays "For “Gut Yontif,”
“Cohen’s performance will feature eight welded-steel frames featuring a geometric design taken from one of Silk’s quilts in the History Center show. The frames will form the ceiling to a 16-by-16-foot structure, to be erected in a small surface lot on Penn Avenue owned by the Center. On entering the Sukkah, visitors will be invited to tear strips of fabric from a tablecloth, soak them in a tub of water, and hand them to Cohen, who will fasten them to the 10-foot-high ceiling. As the water seeps from the fabric, said Cohen, “In effect it’s going to be raining in the Sukkah. It’s dealing a lot with grief, with communal labor [and] unity through that labor.” The performance will also echo the tradition of decorating a Sukkah with paper chains"