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Sukkah Model

Sukkah Model

Dining Room with Walls as Projections of Chairs and Table (Study for Sukkah)

Allan Wexler (American, b. 1949)
New York, United States, 1988
  • Basswood
  • 6 3/4 x 8 x 7 in. (17.1 x 20.3 x 17.8 cm)
  • The Jewish Museum, New York
  • Purchase: Judaica Acquisitions Fund, 1998-86
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Sukkah Model

Dining Room with Walls as Projections of Chairs and Table (Study for Sukkah)

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Dining Room with Walls as Projections of Chairs and Table (Study for Sukkah)

This model is part of a series called "Sukkah, Proposals for Dining Buildings" by the artist and architect Allan Wexler. Each work in the series plays with some aspect of the traditional sukkah structure in order to explore the function and ritual of the sukkah. In this case, the legs of the chairs continue through the floor of the sukkah, and the chair backs extend up through the roof of the building. The legs become stilts that hold up the building and support the sitters.

By extending the chairs vertically in both directions, Wexler connects the interior of the sukkah with the natural environment--the earth and sky. Sukkot is an agricultural holiday that celebrates our ancient connection to the earth (no matter how removed from our agricultural roots we may feel today). The ritual of the sukkah takes place outdoors. Because the ancestors of the Jewish people camped under the desert skies, those building a sukkah today are required to design it so that the stars can be seen through the branches covering the roof.

Wexler has explored the form and function of the sukkah in a number of his works. In one example, he plays on the temporary, portable nature of the structure by creating a full-size sukkah on wheels, made up of four small sheds that fit together.