Faculty of Design

Material Art & Design

Simone Aslan

Weeping For Babylon I

A hand beaded full-sized tallit (a jewish prayer garment).

“This tallit measures 45 x 72 inches- this tallit was made with gematria in hand, with all measurements being in relationship to 7 or to 9.Upon the atarah (crown) of the tallit the rivers Tigris and Euphrates are beaded. Each corner depicts patterns found on tik- Iraqi Jewish metal Torah casings as I saw in our synagogue. Depicting the stripes of the tallit are 81 beads- woven with white pearls, green seed beads, and red nylon thread. Upon one corner, the design is flanked by two blue date palms, as though inviting one to walk between them. These palms are Iraq's national tree- the style specifically derived from patterns on the Gates of Ishtar, the 8th gate to the inner city of Babylon. I am heavily influenced by Babylonian motifs, as it was Nebuchednezzar II that initially defeated the kingdom of Judea, marking the beginning of babylonian captivity, which of course led to Iraqi Jewry being one of, if not the oldest Jewish diasporas.”