Artwork
Spirits of the Huveaune | Le Chemin des Fées - Marie la fée de la source
Lucy + Jorge Orta, 2012
- Ref: 7054
- Materials: Aluminium, epoxy paint
- Dimensions: 160 x 50 x 50cm
- Exhibition history: 2013 La Martellière, Saint-Zacharie, Marseille, France
- Courtesy: The Artists, Fondation de France program Nouveaux Commanditaires, Rives & Cultures, Bureau de Competences et Desirs
- Concept: The Chemin des Fées is a parcours of five public sculptures Spirits that map the presence of the Huveaune, a coastal river in eastern Provence that originates in the massif of Sainte Baume and flows into the Mediterranean Sea at Marseille.
The five Spirits are derived from historical texts, legends and stories around the valley of the Huveaune and recount the feminine presence associated with the river. Our sources of inspiration are the legendry, supernatural and the imaginary that perpetuate the history and foundation of Massilia, the ancient port of Marseille. Lucy + Jorge Orta
These spirits, genii loci, invest five locations along the riverbanks and weave an unprecedented link between the past and the present. They invite visitors to discover a 30km trail along the Huveaune valley and new ways to explore the river. Referring to the universal water cycle, Spirits of the Huveaune raises public awareness of environmental issues related to the river’s fate, thereby raising the question of water management in the future, here as elsewhere.
According to legend, Mary Magdalene left the Holy Land and found refuge in the Massif de la Sainte-Baume to continue life as a hermit and to do penance. Her endless tears flowing freely gave birth to the Huveaune.
Lucy + Jorge Orta drew inspiration from the Mary Magdalene myth to create La fée de la source – Marie. Alone in the woods and kneeling over one of the Huveaune’s sources, she bestows an offering of water upon us. In the water cycle, Marie represents the moment of outpouring, when water contained in the earth suddenly bursts to the surface and becomes a source. She is a symbol of giving and sharing.
La fée de la source - Marie was inaugurated on April 6, 2013 in the Martellières, Saint-Zacharie.
