Visual Art / Audiovisual Installation

Trapped Angel

A 13-minute immersive installation weaving spiritual, visual, and auditory realms into an experience of contemplation and transcendence.

Trapped Angel audiovisual installation by Lera Auerbach

Installation

“Trapped Angel” is an audiovisual installation weaving the spiritual, visual, and auditory realms into an experience of contemplation and transcendence. This 13-minute immersive experience envelops the viewer in darkness, where the senses are awakened by images and sounds evolving across four projection surfaces aligned to True North, South, West, and East.

Accompanied by a multifaceted sound design, the installation lures the viewer into a sacred space that brings to life the profound essence of being human: our entrapped angelic nature.

Invocation

בשם יהוה ומימיני מיכאל ומשמאלי גבריאל ומלפני אוריאל ומאחרי רפאל ועל ראשי שכינת אל
B’sheim Adonai, u mimini Michael, u mismoli Gavriel, u mi lifnai Uriel, u mei acharai Rafael, v’al roshi Shekhinat eil.
In the name of the Eternal, to my right Michael, and on my left Gabriel, and in front of me Uriel, and behind me Rafael, and above my head the Eternal Shekhinah.

The installation’s design evokes a ritualistic orientation, connecting geographical bearings with mystical symbolism. The directionality of the angels in this silent invocation is often used in Kabbalistic practices and other mystical Jewish traditions as a means of centering oneself, seeking protection, or embarking on a spiritual journey.

“Trapped Angel” provides a meditative space for introspection and spiritual exploration.

Video Installation / Virtual Projection Room

Trapped Angel

A spatial rendering of the four-wall video installation

A virtual representation of the physical installation, conceived as an interpretive spatial study rather than a documentary record. Trapped Angel is presented here as a four-wall environment in which image, delay, reflection, and architectural enclosure shape the viewer’s encounter. Sound is drawn from a single projection source, while the surrounding images unfold in temporal offset.

Virtual installation view: a curatorial reconstruction of the physical installation, moving from an overall spatial view toward the interior field of projection.
Four-wall spatial model
Drag to shift perspective
Curatorial note: this virtual environment is a representation of the physical installation. It is intended to suggest the spatial conditions of encounter: the body positioned within a room, the image unfolding across multiple walls, and the temporal dislocation created by delayed projection. Sound is drawn from a single projection source, while the remaining walls preserve the visual offset of the installation’s temporal field.
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Installation Information

Presenting Trapped Angel

A physical four-wall audiovisual installation for museums, galleries, project rooms, private collections, and interdisciplinary presentation contexts.

Trapped Angel is conceived as a physical four-wall audiovisual installation. The work is intended to be experienced inside a room or enclosed architectural environment, where the moving image surrounds the viewer rather than appearing on a single frontal screen.

In its physical form, the installation is presented in a darkened or light-controlled space. The image is projected onto four surrounding walls, or equivalent projection surfaces, allowing the viewer to stand within the field of the work. The installation may be adapted to existing gallery walls, temporary exhibition architecture, projection screens, stretched projection fabric, or a black-box environment.

The four projections may be presented with a deliberate temporal offset, creating a sense of visual echo, repetition, and spatial dislocation. Sound is drawn from a single projection source, allowing the sonic field to remain focused while the surrounding images unfold in delayed relation to one another.

The final configuration should be developed in relation to the host architecture. Room size, projection distance, surface material, light conditions, and visitor flow all shape the experience of the work.

Spatial Format

A four-wall room or enclosure using existing walls, temporary exhibition architecture, projection screens, stretched fabric, or matte projection surfaces.

Scale

The installation can be scaled according to the venue, from an intimate project room to a larger immersive gallery environment.

Projection

A typical presentation uses four projectors and a four-channel playback system, with timing configured independently for each wall.

Sound

Audio is drawn from one designated projection source and diffused through a discreet stereo or gallery speaker system.

For galleries, museums, and collectors: the physical installation can be adapted to the architecture and technical conditions of the presenting space. The studio can work with the venue to determine projection surfaces, playback configuration, audio placement, and the desired level of immersion.
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