Ruah: Breath of Life
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7)
For my thesis project upon finishing my Master of Fine Arts degree with Brooklyn College, I presented Ruah, an immersive art installation featuring performances of poetry, music, dance and drama by Fr. Joseph Michael Fino, CFR, Christa Dalmazio, Claire Kretzschmar, and James and Karina Majewski. Each night also included a social with refreshments and homemade beer brewed by Fr. Joseph Michael Fino, CFR.
Presented by Arthouse2B, at Annunciation Church in the Gabriel Gallery, June 2023.
Show statement:
Ruah: a Hebrew word meaning breath, spirit, or wind. Pronounce the word: ruah. It’s breathy. You can both understand and embody its meaning as you say it: ruah. “God’s ruah hovered over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
One breath – just like that, man is crafted and brought to life with some dirt and a swift breath in the face. Why does God choose this means of creation? To pierce the veil of this mystery, I propose turning to the artist and his primal instinct, which, at its best, is like the instinct of a child.
As a kid, I made a lot of sandbox sculptures. I would gather sand mixed with water into clumps, blow on my sculptures to make them harden, and carve these shapeless mounds into buildings and little people. In my mind these lumps of sand were living cities and creatures with worlds and stories of their own.
I can’t explain why this urge was planted in me as a child, or why it has remained with me into adulthood. The same breath of life which God breathes into Adam is what infuses the artist who becomes an open, pure vessel. Ruah– an impulse of divine movement leading every paint stroke, revealing shadows of God’s mysterious love for His creation.
I invite you to consider this mystery tonight. This living, breathing installation is only a reflection of the Divine breath of life, which has infused creation from the beginning, transforming nothing but dust into flesh and blood. The performances before you are brief, ephemeral responses to the Spirit’s prompting in our individual and collective work, breaking forth from the artist’s compulsion to create something out of nothing. With open eyes and hearts, let us enter into the eternal ruah anew.
“Listen: there was once a king sitting on his throne.
Around him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns
ornamented with ivory,
bearing the banners of the king with great honor.
Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather
from the ground and he commanded it to fly.
The feather flew, not because of anything in itself
but because the air bore it along.
Thus am I 'A feather on the breath of God.’"
-Hildegard von Bingen
photos: Edwin Lucero