MARBLE! (Languedoc)

I have returned!! Lots of posts to come from the Languedoc. 

Where will I start?

Well we were thrilled to find at the end of June the return of the most unbiennial of biennials - the ''famous' St.Pons de Thomieres Biennial du Marbre. It did occur every other year for quite a while but once no.1 son and I got into it - it disappeared. Which was all the more confusing as just about that
same time the marble quarries that that been disused for several years sprang back into action.

It was a 2 week festival this time around and as before there were 4 finalists invited to the town to create their sculptures in public.

BUT, WHY OH WHY OH WHY????

There were no 'Confrieres' the head honchos of the marble world/well Haute Languedoc at least- that's them above photographed at the last biennial, but as no.1 son said (rather cruelly) they've possibly all died since then. So the event lacked somewhat in ceremony and I was disappointed to miss the tour of the marble quarry (I know how to have fun on holiday) as it coincided with the day we had to go pick Husband up from the airport but it was good to to watch the sculptures take shape.
I can find just one participant with a good web presence Harutyun Yekmalyan - find him on Facebook at - atelier-galerie yekmalyan
where he has posted lots of photos to document the daily developments of his piece.

 

There they are on one of the first days of work (glorious weather) and on the horizon come a ?? what's the collective noun for ducklings? the local school kids all decked out in their safety bibs having just visited the quarry.                                     

Below, some days later, can you tell what it is yet?

 

The other artists were Albert Vall who created a very tactile reclining figure

and Noemie Palacios, at work below, this was towards the end of the event when they had moved the sculptures from the original work area, l'Espace Gare (large open area where the railway used to be) to a square in the middle of the town, shadier and much more pleasant to work in I would imagine.