Month: September 2016

So after my most recent post, I received some valuable advice from a friend.

She graciously complimented the vibe of my blog, along with the images. However, she noted, in my determination to record the progress of the project I have neglected to provide a summary of the concept. When she mentioned this I was reminded that this is true. It has been some time since I explained the overall theme.

Coincidentally, I also happened to submit a project description for a recent grant application. The requirement demanded a maximum of 2000 characters (no small feat for a verbose artist).

In honor of my friend’s request, I am posting that project description here:

Memory, and the places where it is conceived, deserves to be honored. These memorial plaques are part of an ongoing public art installation called the IMofCollective (In Memory of Collective).  The IMofCollective is an organization composed of individuals  employing artistic expression to mark memorable locations. The choice of location is initially personal, honoring the unique remembrance and perspective of the creator. Once it has been consecrated as public art it becomes part of a wider audience and an ingredient for larger discussions.

Each of these ceramic plaques exhibits a word that I display in relationships and deem of equivocal value. Words like “anger” are clearly problematic, while others such as “dreamer” contain idealistic qualities but may lead to undesirable circumstances. After a difficult divorce I moved from my home in Provence, France to Massachusetts. I sculpted these plaques, reminiscent of those commonly placed on tombs in France, to consecrate five years of my life there. They embody an integral part of my healing process. Once completed, I transported them back to France and installed each one in a location of particular significance to me. I wanted to pay homage to the power of memory. I also hoped that through the fiery act of emblazoning these words into earthly materials, I might begin to rid myself of them.

Through this process I am learning that the emotions tied to behavioral patterns are difficult to shed, because they are bound to the memories associated with them. I am composed largely of my experiences. I hope that, by choosing to expose intimate vulnerabilities to the public I am not only transcending emotional limitations, I am allowing them to be reborn as a communal experience. I want to put old habits to rest and make way for fresh memories and emotions to come to life. That is the ultimate goal of these installations.

There! I’ve done it. I will try to provide a more succinct version in future blogs, and on more regular occasions.

Where did I last leave off?

Aaah yes. The Chapel at Lumieres. How could I forget?

So, here I am seated at the wall beside this enchanted Chapel, savoring the view of Goult and the valley below. I take a series of photographs. All along, my eyes are open to the prospect of the perfect spot to place my next “In Memory of” plaque.

I know I already posted a photo in the previous blog, but for posterity’s sake I will include it in this blog as well.

Prior to arriving, I thought I might choose an installation spot next to the Chapel or to the statue of Jesus and Mary, in the stone grotto immediately facing it.

Instead, I am drawn to a large stone perched on an overgrown spot about twenty feet to the left of the statue. The stone itself, large and oblong, reminds me of a sarcophagus, which sparks my morbid fascination with tombs of all kinds. Pushing aside prickly brambles, I discover a square hole cut out of the floor of the grotto. The cutout piece is laying to the side, as if whoever opened it ran off in a hurry and forgot to replace it. Peering into the dark entry of a mysterious cave under the rock, I can imagine all manner of things tucked away in its depths….treasure? Bones?

Whatever its function, I take its appearance as a sign that I am on the right path to my goal.

As soon as I get a better view of the sarcophagus stone, I know I have hit the mark.

Here is a shot of the sacred location. Through the break in the trees across the path you (and my plaque) can enjoy a peek of the hillside of Goult.

Here is a close up of the naked surface of the stone, pre-installation.

There is something about the way the light hits it, like a beacon, that calls to me.

Finally, here is an image of the final installation.

And an even better one.

I feel the need to say how happy I am with this last shot. It is difficult, for many reasons, to part with these memorial plaques. Although each word may not be considered an agreeable quality, it represents a part of myself. “Stubborn” is a word that I have been called countless times, since I was a little girl, for better or for worse. It manifests itself in many forms, and can both help and hinder me in my life goals. Probably in relationships, such as my previous marriage, it proves more problematic then helpful.

Nonetheless, I deeply identify with the word “stubborn”. It is soothing to know that I have preserved something of the essence of this word in a thoughtful image.

When I walk away from a plaque I am leaving it to the elements, and I am (hopefully) leaving a part of me behind. It may be destroyed in a matter of hours. All that hard work and preparation becomes a figment of the past. That is part of the process of letting go.

On the other hand, it may become a fragment of the future, opening the doors to someone else’s story.

Who knows? Anything is possible.