2011 25 x 29 framed, collage, watercolour Cell phones fill window and door openings of a traditional image of the Tower of Babel. The builders were proud of the most advanced technology used for the construction of the tower (baking bricks) just as we are proud of our technological advances. These innovations are a distraction that permeates our culture and contribute to the undoing of civility. The multi-coloured, ephemeral shapes in the background are made of maps of American cell phone connectivity. “Therefore, He named it Babel, for there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth, and from there the Lord scattered them upon the face of the entire earth.” Genesis 11:9

collage 10.25”w, 21.5”h November, 2015 A stylized image of nerve endings along a spinal column looked architectural and inspired me to exploit the possibility of creating a roof top scene.  The addition of cell phone networks images in an urban environment pushed the idea further. Combining neural networks with cell phone networks naturally led to ideas of singularity; where and when a brain and a computer will interface as a single entity.

2007 27”h, 35”w, collage, watercolour This collage was inspired by a traditional commentary drawn from a Torah story about tying a sacrificial goat to a bed (the night before its blood was to be spread on the lintels of a Hebrew slave’s home). At the same time it is a commentary on how we as a society are dependent upon technological entertainment, so much so that a flat screen monitor is a central, decorative element in a home. The goat does not try to escape because he is captivated by the moving images on the screen. Furthermore, the Red Sea is parting outside and he does not notice, just as people are so involved in recording an event that they do not experience it.

2008 collage Television screens define the boundaries of the world, as a precaution that the more we are entertained, the flatter the world becomes due to the lack of scientific inquiry and investigation. Different types of perspective are represented.

collage, watercolour 2009 25”w, 21”h Sheep, walking in the streets of Washington D.C. cannot find their way without the help of GPS. A sheep who is not “wired-in” to the latest technology watches from a distance. The streetscape is collaged maps of DC streets and the National Mall.

2008 22"h, 18.5"w, framed collage A golem, accompanied by his goat is made out of a techno landscape. The most famous golem was created by saintly rabbi who miraculously brings to life a clay giant who helps him watch over the Jews of sixteenth-century Prague. Using the same imagery for the landscape and the Golem is a purposeful blending to reinforce his formation from earth.

2010 19" h, 23.5" w framed digital photo, collage An aqueduct is constructed with cell phones; a material in great supply in Israel. Messages are carried, rather than water.

2011 19" h, 23.5" w framed digital photo, collage A wall, separating Palestinian territory from Israel is made out of cell phones that are another type of wall, cutting off social interactions. from an editorial by Tom Friedman in the New York Times, 28 March, 2010 Israel’s erecting of a wall around the West Bank to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers from entering Israel (there have been no successful attacks since 2006), along with the rise of the high-tech industry in Israel — which does a great deal of business digitally and over the Internet and is largely impervious to the day-to-day conflict — has meant that even without peace, Israel can enjoy a very peaceful existence and a rising standard of living. ?