Edition details / Used techniques
- Arte wire, paper.
- Magnolia pistils and red beeswax.
- White wooden frame with glass.
- Dimensions:
- Width: 44,5 cm
- Height: 33 cm
- Depth: 8 cm
Relics of nature are small objects for Mireille Robbe (maple seeds, common ash, branches,…) that lie on the ground and receive little attention. These relics are placed in “Relique carbonisée” back to their place. They are first carbonized (charcoal), this is a form of purification, all the small micro-organisms that ensure that the relic fades away, making the relic timeless. The interesting thing about carbonization is that you make matter transmute from “vegetal” to “mineral”.
The difference between “burning” and “carbonizing” is that during combustion oxygen is present which the matter breaks down into ashes, during carbonization the matter is petrified and thus preserved. In Alchemy, charcoal is the symbol of “L’Oeuvre au Noir”, the first of the four phases. See also the book “L’Oeuvre au Noir” by Marguerite Yourcenar.
