Swords to plowshares: Missile fragments transformed into art by Israeli artist’s windless chimes
Swords to plowshares: Missile fragments transformed into art by Israeli artist’s windless chimes
Through this transformation, artist Yaniv Shentzer seeks to reinterpret the terror he felt when a missile flew dangerously close to him, creating an artistic response that embraces both the danger and the beauty within the chaos.
At the outbreak of the war in Gaza, artist Yaniv Shentzer found himself dismantling his exhibition "Puja" at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv when a missile flew dangerously close. The terrifying experience left an indelible mark. "The missile’s sound was unlike anything I had ever encountered before. As a sound artist, I often work with unusual auditory elements, but this was something else entirely—a horrifying sound that shook me deeply. It activated something inside me. I felt an overwhelming urge to engage with it, to quiet it, to slow it down, to somehow take control of it," Shentzer recalls.
This intense moment became the catalyst for a new artistic direction. Compelled by the experience, Shentzer decided to take fragments of missiles fired at Israel and transform them into wind chimes, turning instruments of destruction into instruments of sound for his installation, "Windless," set to be presented at the Israel Festival in Jerusalam. Through this transformation, Shentzer seeks to reinterpret the terror he felt, creating an artistic response that embraces both the danger and the beauty within the chaos.
"The festival's artistic director, Itay Mautner, connected me with an officer from the Israeli police bomb disposal unit, who was an enormous help," Shentzer explains. "I traveled with him to various police stations across Israel, where I began to see shrapnel. As strange as it sounds, there’s a certain beauty in these pieces. Since they're made of steel, the explosions create intricate patterns in the metal."
The installation consists of 12 elements, including fragments from missiles fired from the south, north, and even Iran. "I've designed a new type of wind chime, and I’m now composing music with them. Using electromagnets, I’ve created 'windless wind chimes.' Unlike traditional wind chimes, which rely on the wind to move, I can activate each one individually to craft a musical composition."
Shentzer adds, "A missile in flight produces a horrifying noise, but I wanted to turn this destructive material into something meditative and slow. By taking rusted, scorched metal and putting it through a process that invites interaction, I’ve sought to embrace it. The process involved extensive polishing and cleaning. While some of the sounds may be unsettling, even slightly frightening, I aim to convey a sense of subdued danger—something calm, yet disquieting."
Yaniv Shentzer, 51, was born in Jerusalem and is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in the city. He studied music, specializing in percussion, at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, and later at the Center for Classical Middle Eastern Music in Jerusalem, where he both studied and taught Persian and Indonesian music. He has presented performances, exhibitions, and events at festivals in Israel and around the world.
