TIFFANY SHLAIN

One of the artists’ favorite pieces of Jewish wisdom is the advice to carry a note in each pocket at all times: one reading “The whole world was made for me,” the other, “I am but dust and ashes.” Depending on a person’s need at any given moment, they could turn to one or the other, summoning up either courage or humility. It is credited to eighteenth-century Hasidic rabbi Simcha Bunim. This idea has appeared in Shlain’s other work, including her film The Making of a Mensch. These reminders can also be viewed through an ecological lens: we have a duty to care for nature, and it is our destiny to return to it. For this artwork the advice is burned into a round sculpture made from an elm tree