Seeking light...

In Quebec City, we went to the impressive Musée de la Civilisation one rainy afternoon. There were two interconnected exhibits at that time, one called "Wounded Artifacts: Repair Work in Africa" and the other was "Ideqqi: Art of Berber Women." Both were stunning exhibits. The first one was about how old artifacts are never discarded or replaced, but, when broken, are repaired in such a way that the repair shows and is done elegantly, so that the spirit of the original maker and that of the one who makes the repair are connected. The maker and repairer were also usually related, as objects passed down through families. A very 'green' concept, as well as being quite creative. I wish I had taken some photos of the repaired objects, but I didn't. The room was not really conducive to photography, though non-flash photos were allowed.

I did take a few photos in the second exhibit, as there were several lovely weavings there. The work was all fairly new, not ancient objects. The lighting in that room was also dim, and the objects were all, of course, under glass. The room was also interspersed with large beautiful photos of the women who had created the pieces, like this one:

When I later looked at the photos of the weavings that I had taken, I found that several of the photographs from across the room (behind me) were reflected in my photos of the objects. I really like the effect, as it seems to enhance the idea that the spirit of the maker is in the object. As a maker myself, I know my spirit, my experiences, and my stories are firmly woven in the threads that I carefully weave together. Wouldn't it be awesome if it showed in our work in this way?