Muhammad Abo Salme: Cascade
Cascade is the seventh in a series of site-specific installations in the Lightfall space at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The installation consists of thousands of meters of metal bead chains of the sort commonly associated with a soldier’s dog tag and these days with the families of those abducted by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023.
This is a monumental and symbolic mobile, hanging in the very heart of the Museum. In addition to its captivating appearance, Cascade also harbors a formidable force that threatens to collapse in a catastrophic release. The power of the installation lies in its dual and contrasting effect: a fantastic, sparkling, and light-flooded space that might also be a psychological abyss. While the metal bead chain has strong local connotations, the installation engages with universal human loss. It invites us to examine it from all angles and then, gradually, experience the power of the Cascade—a gushing waterfall held precariously above our heads; an object that explores our present and gives shape to visions of the future.
Muhammad Abo Salme (b. 1989, lives in Katzir), a lighting artist, began his career in the filmmaking field and went on to serve as a lighting and stage designer for music.
Muhammad Abo Salme, preparatory sketch for Cascade
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