Sacred Spaces: Discovering the Sublime in the Objects We Carry

Sat, Mar 8 2025
8:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Central Library

Night in the Library

Room: Information Commons Room 7, 1st Floor

Until the mid-16th century, women’s clothing often lacked functional pockets, leading them to rely on small, hidden pouches tied beneath their garments. These intimate items, ranging from practical tools to private mementos, offer a unique glimpse into the daily lives, social status, and personal worlds of women throughout history.

Today, pockets are a common feature of our clothing, carrying everything from the mundane to the unconventional.

This workshop invites participants to explore the symbolic and cultural meanings of the objects we carry in our pockets, uncovering how even the most ordinary items can evoke a sense of the sublime. Drawing on theories from material culture, phenomenology, and personal narrative, we will reflect on how these everyday objects connect to broader emotional, psychological, and philosophical dimensions.

Through facilitated discussion, participants will be encouraged to consider the ways these objects can represent personal identity, memory, and self-perception.

Hilla Shapira is a Fiber artist, costume designer and educator. Originally from Tel-Aviv, Israel, and is currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work deals with the relationships between common design and body regimen. By making functional mundane objects she questions design norms and the political aspects of things. She has presented her work in Israel, Europe, and the USA including: Art Basel (Miami, FL), Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art (Philadelphia, PA), NY Textile Month (NYC, NY), Jerusalem Design Week (Jerusalem, Israel), NY Jewelry week (NYC, NY), Little Berlin Gallery, (Philadelphia, PA), Depo2015 (Pilsen, Czech Republic), Neve Schechter Gallery (Tel-Aviv, Israel), Hansen House (Jerusalem, Israel), Textile Arts Center (Brooklyn, NY) and Wasserman Projects (Detroit, MI). She was AIR in Carrizozo residency (Carrizozo, NM), Popps Packing (Hamtramck, MI), Makerspace (Brooklyn, NY) and Neve Schechter center (Tel-Aviv, Israel). She received her BFA in Fashion from Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem, Israel and her MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy, Bloomfield-Hills MI, USA. Shapira's work had been featured in different publications including: Hyperallergic Magazine, NY Jewish Week, Metalsmith Magazine, Portfolio Magazine, Haaretz, and the Jerusalem Post.
 

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Add to My Calendar 03/08/2025 08:30 pm 03/08/2025 09:00 pm America/New_York Sacred Spaces: Discovering the Sublime in the Objects We Carry <p><em>Room: Information Commons Room 7, 1st Floor</em></p><p>Until the mid-16th century, women’s clothing often lacked functional pockets, leading them to rely on small, hidden pouches tied beneath their garments. These intimate items, ranging from practical tools to private mementos, offer a unique glimpse into the daily lives, social status, and personal worlds of women throughout history.</p><p>Today, pockets are a common feature of our clothing, carrying everything from the mundane to the unconventional.</p><p>This workshop invites participants to explore the symbolic and cultural meanings of the objects we carry in our pockets, uncovering how even the most ordinary items can evoke a sense of the sublime. Drawing on theories from material culture, phenomenology, and personal narrative, we will reflect on how these everyday objects connect to broader emotional, psychological, and philosophical dimensions.</p><p>Through facilitated discussion, participants will be encouraged to consider the ways these objects can represent personal identity, memory, and self-perception.</p><p><strong>Hilla Shapira</strong> is a Fiber artist, costume designer and educator. Originally from Tel… Brooklyn Public Library - Central Library MM/DD/YYYY 60