The slim beauty and youthful fragility of Elana Katz creates a ready made sense of human vulnerability as she acts out her window performance on 44th Street in the afternoon of Friday, January 11, 2012. The contrast of the windowed scene she is creating and the busy street with its messy clutter of shop fronts and neon signage and hurrying passersby, some of whom were suddenly caught by the unexpected sight to stop, take in her performance on this unique stage and fathom its raison d'etre, is remarkable, a blessed intrusion of the peaceful ambience and contemplation of high art set into the busy absentmindedness of commercial activity and its purposeful pedestrians.

And what is her presentation about? A dark doe eyed dancer in a light top and tights is seated either beside, or with her lap and legs under, a mound of ash, occasionally slowly changing to a new position, and leaning or lying immobile on one pose or another, with the ashes as cover or pillow. In the top right hand corner of the window is a page announcing and explaining the event, and telling us her biography, starting in dance in America and moving to her present life as a performance artist based in Berlin confronting cultural conventions and their contradictions and "aiming to experience the unlearning of the assumed (David C. Terry)".

The dirt is in fact ashes - the ashes of animals, and wood ash. The title of the piece is REFLECT, and the ashes "reflect the layers of ashes - life turned to dust - forgotten, or brushed aside, in some cases denied, on which society lives" (Terry).

Set into the side of the window is a small earphone outlet with Elana's spoken account available on a tape loop for anyone carrying a set of earbuds or headphones.