The last meal that I ever cooked in the studio: an improvised bowl of arroz caldo with Basmati rice.
Week Twelve: Creative Conclusions
As my residency in Paris draws to a close today my week-long activity has been devoted to the polishing and installation of the sculpture for St. Merri church. I have given it the title "And he spoke and walked at his birth" in reference to the other versions of the nativity story in the Koran and in the lost gospels that claim the Holy Infant had indeed did that. My sculpture depicts the Infant, already crowned, standing up for the first time and at the moment of uttering his first words. I have used a new technique in the finish by highlighting its wood construction, and leaving parts, assembly areas unadorned, exposed to convey a sense of vulnerability. This is my translation of Rodin's non-finito technique in wood, something that I am given to explore more in my future pieces.
In some ways the sculpture is a personification of my days during the residency. Like the work my sojourn is made of component episodes, which ultimately are assembled to make sense. But again like my treatment of the work, my experiences here are "unfinished" as they are for me only starting points for future projects. The fact that I will be undertaking another residency quite soon is indicative of the "non-finished" journey that I am undertaking for my craft and for my life views. It is always like that for artists, I suppose. The journey is always never finished, because the destination keeps changing. So it makes sense that Hemingway invents the phrase "a moveable feast" because Paris is a festivity that is always in transit. I will attempt to make a summary of my twelve weeks and my impressions.
My first three weeks were all about exploring Paris, first by foot and then by Metro and bus. These initial days were all attempts to understanding the systems of the city so that I know where to buy supplies and food. Being mobile through a map was a very essential skill that Ive learned to improve here so that in the following months I was so familiar with the layout of this compact city I could navigate my way without too much references. By knowing my bearings I was able to explore Paris without the fear of getting lost.
By the start of the fourth week and throughout November I proceeded with intensive research, mostly more in-depth observations of church art, cathedral sculpture and museum collections. My weeks were divided into themes, the first of which was Death which made me explore the major cemeteries of the city, especially Pere Lachaise. In addition to visiting numerous museums including the Louvre, Museé d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Museé de Cluny and Museé de Quai Branly,I also attended two international art fairs, FIAC and Slick Paris which gave me an idea of contemporary art in the market circuit.
Halfway through the residency I had an epiphany that had profound effects on the way I think of my stay. I "dropped" the perspective of being a student of art history and a curator, terminating grueling weeks of internal strife between making notes of artistic works and making studies and plans for future series and studies. I trimmed all art historical concerns (which were bewildering) and revisited sites and museums with art projects in mind. Instead of looking for mental souvenirs, I sought out references and possible subjects. Thus I also began a series of works on paper and bought myself carving tools and wood.
I started shifting to a more creative mode of response to my residency in mid-November. By this time I have finished more than a hundred works on paper, all of which I sent home by sea freight cargo. I also committed to making a sculpture for the Christmas display of the Church of St. Merri through Marguerite Lantz, an artist who oversees the artistic activities of the said church.
In late November my wife joined me in France and together we spent four consecutive week of exploring churches and landmarks in Paris and also four trips outside the capital: to Rouen, Lisieux in Normandy; to Chartes; to Nevers and finally to Lourdes. All four excursions became points of comparative studies between churches and church art within different regions and different times. In Chartres we experienced the first snow of the winter season - something that never occurred again until the end of my residency. After my wife left for home in Manila, I spent my last week to finish the sculpture, which I have already narrated above.
If I can cite the most important effects that this residency has had on me it is the affirmative persuasion of my artistic practice. I learned to think (and behave) as an artist in Paris inasmuch as my concerns are now more creative, more about projects - than documentary research. Also I realized how much of a Filipino I truly am, given that I have been reacting to the city with my vernacular habits and biases, highlighted by numerous encounters in the streets and the constant feeling of being seen as a foreigner (and being taken as a Mexican, Nicaraguan, Bolivian, etc)
Thus by being a stranger in Paris, I realized where my true home lies. And that is where I am headed at the end of these twelve weeks.
As my residency in Paris draws to a close today my week-long activity has been devoted to the polishing and installation of the sculpture for St. Merri church. I have given it the title "And he spoke and walked at his birth" in reference to the other versions of the nativity story in the Koran and in the lost gospels that claim the Holy Infant had indeed did that. My sculpture depicts the Infant, already crowned, standing up for the first time and at the moment of uttering his first words. I have used a new technique in the finish by highlighting its wood construction, and leaving parts, assembly areas unadorned, exposed to convey a sense of vulnerability. This is my translation of Rodin's non-finito technique in wood, something that I am given to explore more in my future pieces.
In some ways the sculpture is a personification of my days during the residency. Like the work my sojourn is made of component episodes, which ultimately are assembled to make sense. But again like my treatment of the work, my experiences here are "unfinished" as they are for me only starting points for future projects. The fact that I will be undertaking another residency quite soon is indicative of the "non-finished" journey that I am undertaking for my craft and for my life views. It is always like that for artists, I suppose. The journey is always never finished, because the destination keeps changing. So it makes sense that Hemingway invents the phrase "a moveable feast" because Paris is a festivity that is always in transit. I will attempt to make a summary of my twelve weeks and my impressions.
My first three weeks were all about exploring Paris, first by foot and then by Metro and bus. These initial days were all attempts to understanding the systems of the city so that I know where to buy supplies and food. Being mobile through a map was a very essential skill that Ive learned to improve here so that in the following months I was so familiar with the layout of this compact city I could navigate my way without too much references. By knowing my bearings I was able to explore Paris without the fear of getting lost.
By the start of the fourth week and throughout November I proceeded with intensive research, mostly more in-depth observations of church art, cathedral sculpture and museum collections. My weeks were divided into themes, the first of which was Death which made me explore the major cemeteries of the city, especially Pere Lachaise. In addition to visiting numerous museums including the Louvre, Museé d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Museé de Cluny and Museé de Quai Branly,I also attended two international art fairs, FIAC and Slick Paris which gave me an idea of contemporary art in the market circuit.
Halfway through the residency I had an epiphany that had profound effects on the way I think of my stay. I "dropped" the perspective of being a student of art history and a curator, terminating grueling weeks of internal strife between making notes of artistic works and making studies and plans for future series and studies. I trimmed all art historical concerns (which were bewildering) and revisited sites and museums with art projects in mind. Instead of looking for mental souvenirs, I sought out references and possible subjects. Thus I also began a series of works on paper and bought myself carving tools and wood.
I started shifting to a more creative mode of response to my residency in mid-November. By this time I have finished more than a hundred works on paper, all of which I sent home by sea freight cargo. I also committed to making a sculpture for the Christmas display of the Church of St. Merri through Marguerite Lantz, an artist who oversees the artistic activities of the said church.
In late November my wife joined me in France and together we spent four consecutive week of exploring churches and landmarks in Paris and also four trips outside the capital: to Rouen, Lisieux in Normandy; to Chartes; to Nevers and finally to Lourdes. All four excursions became points of comparative studies between churches and church art within different regions and different times. In Chartres we experienced the first snow of the winter season - something that never occurred again until the end of my residency. After my wife left for home in Manila, I spent my last week to finish the sculpture, which I have already narrated above.
If I can cite the most important effects that this residency has had on me it is the affirmative persuasion of my artistic practice. I learned to think (and behave) as an artist in Paris inasmuch as my concerns are now more creative, more about projects - than documentary research. Also I realized how much of a Filipino I truly am, given that I have been reacting to the city with my vernacular habits and biases, highlighted by numerous encounters in the streets and the constant feeling of being seen as a foreigner (and being taken as a Mexican, Nicaraguan, Bolivian, etc)
Thus by being a stranger in Paris, I realized where my true home lies. And that is where I am headed at the end of these twelve weeks.
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