Letter to Israel
Alphabetical: A sculpture by Kingsley was commissioned to celebrate Israel?s 60th.
The 15th letter of the Hebrew alphabet will be getting a lot of attention this year. The samech, which represents the number 60, has taken form in California as an 8-feet tall, 400-pound sculpture. Created by the artist Kingsley, the piece — an interactive musical work of art— was commissioned to commemorate Israel’s 60th anniversary.
Alphabetical: A sculpture by Kingsley was commissioned to celebrate Israel?s 60th.
Made of wood, aluminum and steel, and covered with hand-painted canvases, the Kingsley Samech features 60 steel strings, tuned to harmonious chords. It is being shown as part of the Let My People Sing festival, a weeklong series of cultural events in Los Angeles, produced by musician Craig Taubman.
“Ninety percent of my work is interactive. It’s something that people absolutely love,” Kingsley told The Shmooze. “This is something that everyone can be an accomplished musician with. It really draws people in.”
A digital recording device and an amplifier are built into the interior of the sculpture so that the sounds created by the strumming and plucking of participants will not be lost in the moment.
“The viewer really becomes part of the art,” Kingsley said.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
