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New Backlit Glass Art Screens for Temple Adath Israel

As I mentioned in another recent post, sometimes there is long gap between the installation of a piece and the ability to share final images of the full work in context, given the many swirling variables of construction, permits, travel, etc. Such has been the case with a new project that I’m happy to share this week, although it actually was completed last fall – a pair of backlit glass art screens for Temple Adath Israel in Merion Station, Pennsylvania.

These large installations consist of sawtooth glass tiles and flank the Ark, the cabinet that contains the Torah scrolls. This work was part of a larger renovation of the Pietro Belluschi-designed synagogue’s Mandell Sanctuary. Led by Atkin Olshin Shade Architects, the initiative included new and restored finishes, lighting, A/V systems, and furniture that honored the historical features of the space while responding to the need for improved capacity, access, and flexibility.

The new space opened this past fall on September 25, the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5775, with a wonderful dedication by Rabbi Eric Yanoff. In his sermon, the Rabbi spoke openly about both the challenges and opportunities that come with any big new change, and described in detail the ways every aspect of the new space had been thoroughly considered and designed according to Jewish symbolism.

In the case of my contribution, the team and I spoke in depth during the planning process about the ways in which color, pattern, and light have a profound impact on the visitor’s experience. We wanted to create a meditative environment that would offer a sense of contemplation, community, peace, and hope. Rabbi Yanoff eloquently summed up the approach that we ultimately took: “The blue glass, like the blue fringe on a tallit [a Jewish prayer shawl], is intended to reflect both the water…and the heavens. That’s why the blues fade away, intended to draw our eyes upward, heavenward.”

You can check out this work’s project page here; and soon I’ll be posting more of my projects for liturgical spaces here. I also invite you to check out some other installations for hospital chapel, interfaith, and meditation rooms – an ever growing niche of mine – here.