Fred’s Journey
Site Unknown
I had just arrived in Normandy. There was an apple orchard where our Army headquarters was tented. In the evening I walked into the flattened town spread out around a badly bombed church. A ghostly silence covered the deserted area except for the shoveling noise of a lone man trying to uncover his house. He saw me and glared. I represented the war, which had brought ruin to his house and home.
–Fred McDonald
I picked up some of the church glass and moved on.
Artist’s Statement
- Armelle Le Roux
From
Fred was part of the force that liberated France, but he was also, inevitably, a player in the drama that destroyed this man’s home.
I found this weapon-shaped piece of wood in the trash and burned it to represent a ruined beam from this man’s house. The two bright shards suggest a primitive house. I surrounded the house with mirror, so that when you approach you see your own eye. Regardless of ideology, we all belong to the bigger picture and we all bear some responsibility.
Artist Information
-
Armelle Le Roux
Atelier Le Roux
3246 Ettie Street
Studio 11 Oakland, CA 94608
Specifications
Number of shards: 2
Dimensions: 28 3⁄4″ × 8″
Medium: copper-foiled mirror in carved and gilded wooden piece
