In the summer of 2016, I spent ten days alone in a ravine by Lake Michigan creating nine six-foot-long creatures of sand. I chose a secluded spot in which I was surrounded by the sights of forest and sand, smells of decomposing plants, sounds of falling leaves, changes in light and wind, and under the watchful eyes of birds, squirrels, and deer.
I was interested in reenacting the story of the creation of the Golem to examine the thoughts and emotions it evokes, and to see if I could add new insights about the process of creation (art or life) and about the existence of someone who is destined to serve a certain purpose. At some point, I even hoped to see my Golems come to life.
WHITE GOLEM - 4:28 minutes
Laborious ritualistic forming of a figure in sand
BROWN GOLEM - 3:14 minutes
“Lilach Schrag cunningly uses looping video to depict the creation - or is it destruction? - of her “Brown Golem,” a humanoid begat from the earth as in Jewish myth.”
- Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post,5/11/2017 -
WHISPER - 4:21 minutes
Time-lapse forming of a humanoid in sand in anticipation of its animation.