Gideon Nel Studio - Against the Tide

The Concept

This exhibition is a typographic art exploration of the connections between Israel’s Exodus and the song Where I Belong by Switchfoot. The story is divided into 6 key parts. Each part represents an important event in the story of Israel and is linked with a significant part of the song. The 6 key parts are named: Refugee, Tide, Shaking, Tragedy, Weak and Home

Background Music

This exhibition is a rediscovery of the wonder and beauty of the story of Israel as told in the Book of Exodus. It’s the story of a group of people who are looking for a home in a world where they belong. It’s a story of people who have nothing to hold on to but the hope that something better lies just beyond the horizon.

It is their story, but it is also our story.

Switchfoot is a band from San Diego, California, found in 1996. The song Where I Belong, from their album Vice Verses (2011), explores some of the same themes as found in the story of Israel as told in Exodus. The song is about our search for a home in a world where we belong. It is about bravery in the midst of tragedy. It’s about learning how to thrive in adversity while embracing the unknown.

Exhibition Poster 1

Exhibition Poster 2

Exhibition Poster 3

Exhibition Poster 4

1 | Refugee

Refugee 1 shows the route of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, while also indicating how the exhibition is divided into 6 key parts. The key parts are named after significant phrases in the song Where I Belong by Switchfoot. Refugee 2 displays the lyrics of the song Where I Belong and also the chronological order of the exhibition. Refugee 3 is a representation of some of the things Israel will be liberated from through their exodus.

Refugee 1

Refugee 2

Refugee 3

2 | Tide

The second part of the exhibition is a series of posters that illustrate Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea. Tide 1 shows how the divided Red Sea must have looked from above. The water is created out of the text from Exodus 14. Tide 2 displays a phrase of the song Where I Belong to illustrate its connection with this part of Israel’s story.

Tide 1

Tide 2

3 | Shaking

The third part of the exhibition is a series of posters that illustrate Israel’s meeting with God at mount Sinai in Exodus 19. The mountain shook heavily and the people trembled as God descended onto the mountain. It is here where God spoke to his people through Moses, calling them to wake up and to live in a new relationship with Him.

Shaking 1

Shaking 2

Shaking 3

Shaking 4

4 | Tragedy

Deep in the desert, Israel has lost all hope for a better future. The fourth part of the exhibition represents Israel’s exile, dispair and loneliness. Tragedy 1 represents the vastness of the desert and the strange feeling of being in an unfamiliar place. The poster uses lyrics from the song to portray what Israel must have felt.

Tragedy 2 may be seen as the answer to all the questions. Between the lines, between all the sadness and frustration, God answer’s in the silence, “I am here.” Although it seemed as if God had forsaken them, He was nowhere else but there with them in the chaos and the sadness.

Tragedy 1

Tragedy 2

5 | Weak

The fifth part of the exhibition represents the manna God gave to his people when they felt weak and fatigued. The manna rained from the sky and tasted like honey. Weak 2 represents a comparison between the Old and the New. In the Old Testament God provides his people with bread and in the New Testament Jesus proclaims that He is the Bread of life. Weak 3 & 4 are typographic illustrations of the manna falling from the sky.

Weak 1

Weak 2

Weak 3

Weak 4

6 | Home

The sixth part of the exhibition represents Israel finally arriving in Canaan. Home 1 represents all the places Israel have called home before. Home 3 represents the conclusion and final idea of the exhibition. Even though we sometimes feel we have arrived, like Israel, we are all still looking for a home in a world where we belong.

Home 1

Home 2

Home 3

Home 4