Marie - Spirits of the Huveaune

Studio Orta - 7054_04
Studio Orta - 7054_02
Studio Orta - 7054
Studio Orta - 7054_01
Studio Orta - 7054_03

Date: 2013
Ref: 7005
Materials: Aluminium, polychrome
Dimensions: 160 x 50 x 50cm (3 + 2AP)
Exhibition history: Martellières, Saint-Zacharie, Marseille
Courtesy: Courtesy of the Artists, the Nouveaux Commanditaires, Bureau de Competences and Rives & Cultures Marseille

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. 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. Drawings from historical texts, legends and stories surounding the foundation of Marsillia, the ancient port of Marseille the myths recount the strong feminine presence associated with the valley of the Huveaune. Spirits of the Huveaune refer to the universal water cycle and raise public awareness of environmental issues related to the river’s fate, questioning 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 Marie La fée de la source.  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.

Marie La fée de la source was inaugurated on April 6, 2013 in the Martellières, Saint-Zacharie.