PROJECT STATEMENT
Bere’shith (In the Beginning)
“Bere’shith” is the first Hebrew word in Genesis and means “in the beginning.” This work is my story of starting again after considerable loss in my life, which warranted a reflection on the larger meaning of cycles, death, and renewal. Coming through this pain and starting again on new land is what inspired this project.
In the Jewish tradition, we have a yearly cycle of reading the torah, starting over again each year from the beginning of the scroll, reading the same words. However, the text takes on new meaning as we evolve, thus reflecting the spiral variation of a cycle as we move forward in time. In short, the project investigates what it means to be human, to move through sadness, to start again, to create a new life, and to be alive.
The images reflect the symbolism of cycles that encompass reformation and transformation, just like the caterpillar digests its own body to restructure its DNA into a new organism. This tumultuous start transforms into something new, an ultimate peace in a new land (Exodus).
This work is my spiral, my renewal, and dare I say – heaven presented through light.
SERIES DETAILS
Bere’Shith (In the Beginning) #1-#10, Archival inkjet prints on 3 layers of silk, plexi dowel (20X20 inches)
BIOGRAPHY
Dena Elisabeth Eber is an artist based in Northwest Ohio whose artistic endeavors include VR art works, photography, and interactive installations. Dr. Eber has shown her work at numerous international and national exhibition venues including Gallery D-ART, SIGGRAPH, SPE, the Griffin Museum of Photography, and the Manifest Gallery, and was named on PhotoLucida’s Critical Mass top 200 list. She recently published her first photo book, “you refuse to believe that you ever liked pink” with Schilt Publishing, essay by Alexa Dilworth and book design by Caleb Cain Marcus.
Dr. Eber is a Professor of Photography and Digital Arts at Bowling Green State University where she has taught since 1997. She earned her Ph.D. and her MFA in Art from the University of Georgia, and her MS in Computer Science and her BS in Mathematics from Colorado State University.
CONTACT
To purchase the book: https://denaeber.bigcartel.com/
Installation Photo by Melanie Chapman