Périers, France

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.

I picked up some of the church glass and moved on.

–Fred McDonald

Artist’s Statement

    From

  • Armelle Le Roux

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