A name is the sweetest sound in almost every culture.
Aufmerksamkeit – die höchste Form von Liebe.
Historically, a temple has always been a dedicated space where the divine and the ordinary intersect.
But what would a temple in the 21st century look like?
This installation is conceived as a space that brings spiritual wisdom into the midst of everyday life—inviting visitors to connect the divine to their daily experience.
In contemplating this work, my aim was to create an environment that actively encourages reflection on what is sacred in the ordinary. I envisioned a binary structure accompanied by evocative visuals, prompting visitors to consider where and how the divine intersects with their lives.
The structure itself consists of two everyday building materials: formwork panels—normally used to pour concrete for infrastructure—and white wall panels, the kind often used to barricade construction sites. Both are common, overlooked materials, yet they quietly shape the world we move through every day.
The message unfolds through 28 prints surrounding the installation. Each print represents one of the names of God found in the Torah or the Bible—two of the oldest texts that have shaped Western civilization like no others.
I was drawn to reframe how these names might be interpreted today. Many of them are composed in simple, ordinary language. As I reflected on them, I realized that at their core, they all speak of love—a love that gives freely, without expecting anything in return.
This brought me to the question of value. Beneath every word, beneath every breath, lies our deepest human longing: to be valued, to be recognized, to be loved.
As you stand within this installation, I invite you to move through each name and notice which one draws you in. My hope is that these encounters might awaken something within you—perhaps a memory, a question, or a quiet realization.
What fascinates me most is how language weaves together nature and human creation. Take bread, for example: something we invented, yet it’s given new meaning—“living bread.” Even the body is compared to bread. It suggests that the extraordinary is often hidden within the ordinary, waiting to be seen anew.
— Tobias Brunner