Inspired by Debora Vogel’s poetic legacy and Michael Landes's architectural vision, a site-specific mural at the Union Complex, Buildings at Night, emerges from the intersection of poetry and structure. This mural, reflecting on the intricate patterns of emotional landscapes, navigates urban scenes, elements of nature, and geometric forms representing emotional states, similar to Vogel's explorations in 'Day Figures, Buildings and Streets' from 1926.

Both Vogel and Landes delve into the complexities of urban environments, sharing a deep concern for the human experience within these landscapes. Vogel’s poetry touches on themes of alienation, nostalgia, and the search for belonging, themes that resonate with Landes's vision for the Union Complex. This complex is envisioned as more than just a collection of buildings; it's a carefully designed environment that fosters community, interaction, and a sense of place. Set against the backdrop of Frankfurt, a vibrant and multicultural city, the mural captures this rich diversity.

Fragments of a Yiddish poem are interwoven with German, English, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Punjabi, Hindi, and Somali, symbolizing the dialogue between tradition and modernity. Just as the Union Complex stands as a testament to the coexistence of disparate architectural styles and eras, this approach weaves together languages from different epochs. Through this blend of ancient and contemporary tongues, the poetry resonates across time, echoing the complex layering and integration seen in the Union Complex, thereby encapsulating the essence of bridging the past with the present and future in a continuous, living narrative.

Buildings at Night

Debora Vogel, Day Figures, Buildings and Streets, 1926
Translation from Yiddish: Anastasiya Lyubas

Night streets would be lost
and we would be abandoned
if not for the buildings. 

They stand on the streets.
And, like us, perhaps wait
for a second body. 

So you can compare them to bodies,
a gray building with red light inside
and the second gray building. With yellow light. 

The first building is like
a transparent light body,
which can still long for something
that could have come but didn’t. 

And the second building is
a robust body with sweet light kernels of longing
of thirty evenings a month filled with waiting,
a building, which has given up waiting.

And you still have someone to go to
in the bodiless glass city sphere. 

Debora Vogel was a significant figure in the Yiddish literary world, whose work offers a poignant glimpse into early 20th-century life. As a poet, critic, and key player in the modernist movement within Yiddish literature, she was especially notable for her contributions to the avant-garde and expressionist movements. Her poetry, marked by lyrical intensity, explores themes of isolation, existential angst, and the inner lives of women, set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world. Vogel's work reflects the struggles and aspirations of Eastern European Jewry, the complexities of immigrant life, and broader existential questions.

In translating Vogel's experiences and observations into her work, she crafted a language of introspection and emotional depth, using vivid imagery and innovative stylistic techniques. Her poems navigate the space between the personal and the collective, speaking to broader social and cultural themes. Vogel was also known for her collaborations with other Yiddish writers and her engagement with contemporary literary and artistic movements, contributing to the dynamic interchange of ideas in the Yiddish literary scene of interwar Europe. Despite her significant contributions, her work was not as widely recognized as that of her male contemporaries, and much of her legacy was obscured by the Holocaust.

Today, there's a growing interest in Debora Vogel's work as scholars and readers seek to rediscover and reevaluate the contributions of women to Yiddish literature. Her poetry, with its deep emotional resonance and intricate weaving of personal and cultural narratives, offers a powerful lens through which to explore early 20th-century Jewish life and thought.

The mural reflects the intricate patterns of memory, history, and emotional landscapes that Vogel navigates in her poetry. It incorporates elements evoking the vibrant yet often melancholic spirit of her work, using geometrical imagery resonating with the themes of her poetry, such as urban scenes, elements of nature, and abstract forms representing emotional states. The mural introduces her poignant, introspective world to a broader audience, inviting reflection on the universal human experiences she adeptly portrayed.

Vogel & Landes. Debora Vogel's poetic exploration of urban spaces and architecture shares thematic resonance with Michael Landes's architectural vision in the Union Complex. Both Vogel and Landes delve into the complexities of urban environments, approaching these spaces from different angles—Vogel through modernist Yiddish poetry and Landes through innovative architectural design. At the heart of both their works lies a deep concern for the human experience within these urban landscapes.

Urban Spaces as Emotional Landscapes. Vogel's poetry navigates the emotional contours of urban life, portraying the city not just as a physical space but as a landscape imbued with feelings and memories. Her work reflects how architecture and urban environments influence the individual's inner life, touching on themes of alienation, nostalgia, and belonging. Similarly, Landes's Union Complex is more than a collection of buildings; it is a carefully designed environment fostering community, interaction, and a sense of place. Both artists see urban spaces as deeply connected to human emotion and psyche.

Integration of the Past and Present. A significant aspect of Vogel's work is its reflection on the temporal layers within urban spaces—the coexistence of the past and the present and the traces of history lingering in modern cities. This resonates with Landes's approach to the Union Complex, where integrating new constructions with historical elements creates a dialogue between different eras. Both Vogel and Landes exhibit a nuanced understanding of time's role in shaping urban identities, emphasizing continuity and change as central to the experience of city life.

The Human Dimension of Architecture. At the core of Vogel's poetic explorations and Landes's architectural designs is a shared focus on the human dimension of urban spaces. Vogel's attention to the individual's experience within the broader urban landscape parallels Landes's intention to create architectural spaces prioritizing human interaction and community life. Both artists advocate for environments reflecting and accommodating the complexity of human needs and desires, challenging impersonal and utilitarian views of urban development.

Cultural and Social Reflections. Vogel and Landes also engage with the cultural and social implications of urban spaces and architecture. Vogel's work is deeply embedded in the cultural milieu of Eastern European Jewry, reflecting broader societal changes through the prism of personal experience. Landes's Union Complex represents a physical manifestation of cultural and social ideals, aiming to create a space that responds to contemporary challenges while remaining deeply human-centric. Both contributions highlight the importance of urban environments and architecture in reflecting and shaping societal values.

Harmonizing Poetry & Structure. In creating a mural inspired by the intricate connections between Vogel's poetic approach to urban spaces and the Union Complex architectural vision, the mural's site-specific nature is significant in content, form, and color. The design of the mural was intimately connected to the unique vertical shape of its wall, embracing and incorporating the building's architectural elements. This approach ensured that the mural did not merely exist on the building but became an integral part of its structure and aesthetic. By weaving the mural's forms and shapes around these existing features, the artwork enhanced the building's physical appearance and deepened the dialogue between the mural's thematic content and the architectural philosophy it inhabits. This method underscores the idea that art and architecture are inextricably linked, each enhancing and informing the other, creating a cohesive and harmonious urban environment that resonated with the lived experiences and aspirations of its inhabitants.

In the spirit of Michael Landes's architectural approach to the Union Complex, where traditional boundaries between old and new were reimagined to create a harmonious ensemble bridging different historical periods, a similar transformative vision guided the translation and reinterpretation of Debora Vogel's poetry. By selectively translating fragments of her work into diverse languages reflecting the surrounding communities, while retaining sections in the original Yiddish, a linguistic mosaic is created mirroring Landes's architectural fusion. This method reflected the multifaceted nature of identity and memory in urban spaces.

Frankfurt, a vibrant and multicultural city, thrives with a diverse tapestry of ethnic and cultural groups. This rich diversity was elegantly captured in the mural, where fragments of a Yiddish poem were interwoven with German, English, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Punjabi, Hindi, and Somali. Just as the Union Complex stands as a testament to the coexistence of disparate architectural styles and eras, this approach to Vogel's poetry wove together languages of different epochs, symbolizing the dialogue between tradition and modernity. Through this blend of ancient and contemporary tongues, the poetry resonated across time, echoing the complex layering and integration seen in the Union Complex, thereby encapsulating the essence of bridging the past with the present and future in a continuous, living narrative.