paper people: transience of time, permanence of memory

We are all molded by our surroundings to some extent, even if those surroundings existed only for a second. Israeli artist Naama Aaransohn is fascinated by the transience of people- forever passing by, a never ending blur of individuality that disappears almost as suddenly as it came. In her new exhibit 'Paper People', Ms. Aaronsohn explores how our transient surroundings become imprinted on our memory and re-imagined into permanence.

To visualize the journey from transient memory to palpable permanence, Ms. Aaronsohn turned to the medium of paper to sculpt her impressions of of different characters she has encountered. She explains that paper is an 'endlessly amenable material' which, throughout the process of sculpture creation, turns into something 'tough, enduring, and multilayered'.

Surprisingly, the juxtaposition of delicate paper sculptures scattered throughout the busy business formality of a crisp and modern foyer is quite fitting. Rather than the paper creations being cordoned off to the side, safe from childrens' sticky fingers and businessmens' noted inability to multitask walking and blackberrying, the sculptures mingle with people and almost intercept your path. Just as the real life inspirations are impermanent, interacted with for just a moment, so too did these sculptures appear to be- the backs of the sculptures are rough and unfinished, meant to be a part of your space and then moved past.

The dining table scene seemed out of place to me- while the other sculptures were believable in that they could have been characters that you encounter throughout your day and move past quickly, the dining scene required to to stop and walk over, examining it from different angles and perspectives. In forcing you to stop and investigate the going ons of these paper hedonists, the artist went too far in interiorizing the exhibit. I love the concept of exploring how the ever-changing space we move through takes on a personalized permanence through re-imagination, but the artist needs to refine her vision in order for the exhibit to be more cohesive.