Torah Series

When Torahs are no longer in use, due to damage or age, they are usually buried; however, this ripped and taped Torah was decommissioned and could be repurposed for this project. After reviewing certain stories from the daily portions of the Torah, I began to explore how to share those stories in woven form. When working with a Torah, specific rules must be followed: I must not cut or perforate any letters or crowns.

This Torah series grew out of an understanding that Judaism is a tradition where stories, wisdoms, and literatures are woven together in intricate ways, complex structures of connection and integration, much like our own lives.

Let There Be Light (Genesis 1:3), 2025
Speaking is so important in how we use our language. “Let there be light.” Is that a commandment from God to his own consciousness? If there is only one thing, one universe, then the first verse spoken was to create day from night. Was it so we could experience what darkness feels like compared to lightness? In this weaving, using age-old parchment with fiber optic technology, it reflects the combination of bringing light to our awareness.

Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1-18), 2025
There is only one place in the Torah that reads like this.  When I was rolling through the Torah I stopped and asked: “why is this all open like this, what does it mean?”  It’s a poem; it’s a story of how the sea parted. It sheds light on the importance of storytelling and how Nature organizes to help all who are in need and are grieving. . . Nature opens up. What better use of this sea-blue balloon, than opening up a window to this poem.

Passing Over to Liberation (Exodus 12:2), 2024
This piece is from an allegorical series of weavings on the Torah. It is about liberation — from ourselves, from our neighbors, from our captors, from our bodies. 164 knots make up this piece. Numerology plays a part in my work. In this instance, it represents a message from the universe stating that you are on the right path.

Women Forgotten, 2021
Women Forgotten was woven in response to passages in Leviticus 15, which speak of the impurity of young women during their moon cycles, but say nothing of the wise women, long after their moon cycles have expired. Though these women are enriched with knowledge, they are perceived as dried up, much like the withered parrot tulips. This weaving celebrates the beauty in those forgotten women buried between the Torah’s text.

Soul Study, 2017
Soul Study is based on the story of drawing Moses from the Nile. The Babylonian Talmud associates his name with a word for “drawing out,” likening it to “a hair plucked from a pool of milk”— one of 903 pathways by which the soul can leave the body. This interpretation is based on another of those pathways: where the soul is pulled through thorns like a ball of wool.

ST Torah Series 1_rev medium
Let There Be Light (Genesis 1:3), 2025. 200-Year old Torah from France, Parchment, Fiber Optics warp and weft, Illuminator. Framed: Approximately 25.5” h x 29.25” w
ST Torah Series 1 – light_rev medium
Let There Be Light (Genesis 1:3), 2025. Detail
31 Song of the Sea
Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1-18), 2025. 200-year old Torah from France, Parchment paper, Mylar balloons from the Atlantic Sea found on Fire Island. Framed: 25” h x 30” w ; unframed 21” h x 26.5” w
Tick-Suzanne-Passing-Over-to-Liberation-2024
Passing Over to Liberation (Exodus 12:2), 2024. Torah Parchment, Cochineal Dyed Tussah Silk. Framed: 25” h x 29” w x 2” d
Suzanne Tick Untitled Flower Torah IMG_6765
Women Forgotten, 2021. Torah, silicone-glazed flowers. Framed: 25.5” h x 29.25” w
Suzanne Tick Untitled Yak Torah IMG_6677
Soul Study, 2017. Torah, yak wool. Framed: 23.25” h x 30.25” w