top of page

Kama Virtue Equilibrium Factory

2016

Performance Installation, Mix Media
1100x900x250
 
In cooperation with Aviva Daum Marks

The “Kama Virtue Equilibrium Factory” was born out of a shared pain, in the face of the current chaotic reality. This reality, characterized by ideological radicalism, feelings of fear and hatred and separation between too many different groups in today’s society. In this installation we try to symbolically break down the chaos in our surroundings, while defining a new order. This new order is inspired on Jewish ethics. In Hebrew the word 'mida' has two meanings, virtues and measures. According to Jewish ethics every person needs to find his appropriate measure of each virtue. This idea is expressed as an industrial assembly line trying to balance between two extreme points of the element of water. This action is a metaphor for rereading and reexamining the degree of balance  of our virtues which lies at each person’s core, the very people who make up our entire society.

Instruction Manual

​

Stage 1: There are two large glass containers in the room containing water in its extreme states of matter – solid and gas, ice and steam. There are two operators in the factory, each is in charge of a different state of matter. In stage 1 each of the operators approaches their assigned state of matter, one opens the gas pipe and the other places ice from the ice machine in the bucket.

 

Stage 2: The operators continue to the second stage by climbing up the ladders and “fueling” the machine with ice and steam. On the ladder construction there are two boxes, for the ice and for the steam. The ice operator goes up the ladder and pours the ice in to the ice tubes and the ice slides directly to the various virtue equilibrium assembly lines. The gas operator goes up the ladder and opens the gas pipes. The gages begin to move according to the amount of gas released, and the gas flows in to its various virtue equilibrium assembly lines.

 

Stage 3: This stage is separated in to 4 assembly lines which have been characterized by the following virtues:

  1. Empathy and indifference

  2. Cunningness and naivety

  3. Bravery and cowardice

  4. Pride and humility

Every action that is applied to the ice is mirrored by an opposing action to the gas bringing the two to a state of equilibrium.

​

Stage 4: The fluids from the virtues that were brought to a state of equilibrium are pumped and mixed into one homogenous fluid.

​

Stage 5: Packaging of the homogenous fluid by the operators.

​

Stage 6: Storing the packages.

The Four Virtues:

​

1. Empathy and Indifference

​

1a. Ice arrives at its station

1b. Gas arrives at its station

2a. A hammer crushes the ice

2b. A low base sound is heard from the speaker

3a. A tray slowly pushes the ice in to the glass aquarium

3b. Upon hearing the sound, a clear aquarium with one opaque side makes half of a clockwise turn so that the opaque side faces the speaker, as if it were turning its back to the sound.

4a. The ice arrives in the aquarium and begins to melt. The water flows from the aquarium the larger aquarium in which the liquids are mixed.

​

2. Cunningness and Naivety

1a. Ice falls in to the tube

1b. Gas arrives at its station

2a. The ice spirals around in the tube until it reaches a stopping point in which it melts.

2b. the gas goes directly from the first aquarium to the second aquarium and becomes part of the liquid.

3a. The melted ice is pumped in to the large aquarium.

4. The two liquids are mixed in the large aquarium bringing the two extremities of the states of matter to equilibrium. If the emergency button is pressed, a black liquid will pour from funnels overhanging the large aquariums and enter the balanced liquid that will darken, and sabotage the virtue amendment process.

3. Bravery and Cowardice

1a. Ice falls in to the catapult’s arm

1b. Gas arrives at the “useless machine”, a device which its sole purpose is to turn itself off.

2a. The ice is catapulted in to the first aquarium.

2b. the machine is turned on, gas comes out and it immediately turns itself off. The motion is repeated several times.

3a. The melted ice is pumped in to the large aquarium.

4. The two liquids are mixed in the large aquarium bringing the two extremities of the states of matter to equilibrium. If the emergency button is pressed, a black liquid will pour from funnels overhanging the large aquariums and enter the balanced liquid that will darken, and sabotage the virtue amendment process.

4. Pride and Humility

1a. Ice arrives in a small box attached to the pride conveyer belt.

1b. Gas arrives in a small box attached to the humility conveyer belt.

2a. The ice inside the box travels downwards until the box is overturned into the tank.

2b. The gas inside the box travels upwards until the box is overturned into the tank.

3a. By way of the conveyer belt’s motion, the ice and the gas arrive into a tank which warms them and converts them into a liquid state.

4. The water collected in the smaller aquarium is transferred to the large aquarium.

5. The two liquids are mixed in the large aquarium bringing the two extremities of the states of matter to equilibrium. If the emergency button is pressed, a black liquid will pour from funnels overhanging the large aquariums and enter the balanced liquid that will darken, and sabotage the virtue amendment process.

bottom of page