This installation was created for the exhibition Full Acknowledgement, which was the outcome of a workshop dedicated to Transitional Justice and specifically, within this framework - Public Apologies. The work "Decapitated Earth" deals with bodily purification rituals, often performed as a preparatory step before public apologies. These rituals, which typically include washing parts of the body with water, symbolize the cleansing of past wrongs and the beginning of a new chapter. They are intended to purify both the perpetrators of the wrongdoing and the victims of its moral and psychological burden. Purification rituals are particularly prominent in societies where spirituality or religious beliefs are deeply woven into the justice system. They are seen as a way to appease spiritual entities, ancestors, or deities, and as a ceremonial acknowledgment of the severity of the wrongdoing. In such cases, the rituals add an additional layer of public visibility and thus legitimacy to the apology, making it more accepted and meaningful within the community.

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The use of soil throughout the work symbolizes the deep connection between human society and the earth on which we live, fight, and are ultimately buried. Layers of soil serve as a kind of archive, holding within them the hidden histories that public apologies aim to uncover and acknowledge. Soil is also a symbol of healing and reconciliation. It represents the grounding and stabilization that public apologies bring to societies recovering from conflict or injustice. In many cultures, the act of gifting soil is seen as a gesture of reconciliation and respect, symbolizing the restoration of dignity, land, and rights that were taken away.

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Finally, the work explores deconstruction and reconstruction. The video piece is composed of layers of footage that were broken down into individual frames and painstakingly reassembled—a laborious and disheartening process. The broken lamp, imperfectly glued back together, symbolizes both the hope embodied in public apologies and the incomplete nature of such gestures when they lack institutional support.

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The name Decapitated Earth (Hebrew: Adama Arufa) refers to the ancient ceremony of the eglah arufah (“decapitated calf”), performed when a murdered stranger was found out in the field and the killer was unknown. The ceremony was used as a tool to teach communal responsibility as members asked for forgiveness from God.
 

The video can be found here.​

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Warning: contains flashing images

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