—

After Halle was created in collaboration with 10 survivors, including the artist, of the mass shooting in Halle, Germany, on Yom Kippur in 2019. The sound installation offers a site for listening, grieving, and healing. Visitors are enveloped in the sounds of survivors humming niggunim that were sung in the Halle synagogue on the day of the attack. Humming is a tool used by trauma survivors for self-soothing, both for the hummer and the listener. Each voice is amplified on its own speaker, but the speakers are not motion activated. Embodying the Jewish tradition of mourning and waiting for mourners to speak first, visitors encounter the installation and patiently listen. Sometimes one recording plays, sometimes three or nine play at once, depending on the melody. The speakers are housed in an open enclosure, with their inner workings exposed and vulnerable to observe. On the surface of each enclosure is a visual reference to the universal triage code used in times of crisis. A blue light emanates from the hardware and through the transparent board.