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Hand on a Heel

Finalist (one of four) in the international art competition for a permanent work at the Cologne Cathedral.

Project team:
- Julia Reich ( Research, text & project support)
- Justus Beyerling (editing)
- Oleh Federov (design & 3D animation)
more about the competition here

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Roy Mordechay proposes a new window for the north transept of Cologne Cathedral. (designed by Oleh Fedorv)

The proposal by Roy Mordechay envisions the redesign of the north transept window of Cologne Cathedral, aiming to challenge the historically religious significance of pictorial narratives of division in the Christian-Jewish relationship.

The new window is not intended to follow the traditional approach that views church windows as visual mediators of a linear biblical canon. Instead, it seeks to integrate a relief program that, in a fragmented form, references the Old Testament narrative of the two rivalling brothers, Jacob and Esau—an allusion to the eventful and conflict-ridden Christian-Jewish relationship. Additionally, anti-Jewish visual testimonies from the Cologne Cathedral are aesthetically transformed and reinterpreted. The artist's concept is to build a bridge between past, present, and future, deconstructing and reflecting on the construction of the "Other" within the Christian-Jewish relationship. The new window in Cologne Cathedral is intended to become a space where long-standing narratives are questioned, and their influence in the present is made visible.

The proposal features a diagonal color gradient spanning the entire window, transitioning from yellow to pink with applied glass reliefs, evoking the impression of a sunrise or sunset. The creation process combines traditional materials and craftsmanship with contemporary techniques: in the first layer, the yellow hue is applied to a carrier pane using traditional silver-yellow (Silber Gelb) and then fired. For the representation of pink tones, mouth-blown genuine antique glass in gold pink is used, laminated as a second layer onto the carrier glass. The gradient is manually controlled through the application of silver-yellow and the etching of the color overlay.

A third layer consists of subtle reliefs, created through hot forming based on the artist’s handcrafted designs, appearing to "float" against the window’s background.

The reliefs break with the strict Gothic symmetry of the cathedral and remain open to various interpretations. Some refer to the story of the twins Jacob and Esau, such as the relief "Hand on a Heel." This references the biblical moment when Jacob grasped Esau’s heel at birth—a gesture often interpreted as an original scene of the ambivalent Christian-Jewish relationship. Here, in a reconciliatory reinterpretation, it is meant to express a new dialogue. Other reliefs reference anti-Jewish imagery within the cathedral, such as a depiction in the adjacent "Children’s Window."

The overall transparent design of the glass aims to create an intense play of colors, fulfilling the objective of bringing a new and vibrant light into the dimly lit north transept. 

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Material sample of a relief on glass with a color gradient.

3D animation by Oleh Fedorv

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Watercolor sketch by Roy Mordechay

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Working process at Derix Glass Studios, Taunustein

3D animation by Oleh Fedorv

North window simulation by Oleh Fedorov

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© 2015 by Roy Mordechay. 

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