Parts That Are Left Behind

As we approach the end of the Torah and read Moses’s parting words, we share with you this work which was created as part of JTS’s Artist-in-Residence program, and is on display at JTS as part of the Corridors exhibition.

Dr. Diamant writes:

Parts that are left behind—what meaning do we find in them?

Continuing my fascination with found objects, I created this work from abandoned book covers, ones that remained after part of The JTS Library’s collection was packed away for storage in preparation for the construction of our new library. What is the symbolic meaning of this piece for me? Surely, dearly held parts of ourselves, our institutions, and our storyare witnesses and memorials to what has been. Many are transient and fall away. And in that process of sometimes wrenching change there is loss, regret, and even mourning. At the same time, these signs from the past—reconfigured, recreated—can also bring new meaning, as they become the constituent elements in our ongoing narrative. With this opening to the future comes a sense of curiosity and anticipation about what will follow.