J  A M E S    F U H R M A N

Communion Benches, Parque De La Memoria, 1999
Comision pro Monumenta a las Victimas del Terrorismo de Estado, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Unrealized proposal. Maquette shown. Wood, ink on paper.
Catalog: Concurso de Esculturas "Parque de la Memoria", Buesnos Aires, 1999.
 
    Nunca Mas
    Suffering passes. Having sufferred, never passes.
    We cannot find justice for those who are dead. We must find justice for
           the living and for those who are to come. Kofi Annan    
    In Living, loss and rebirth enfold one another.
    Together enclose one another in unity.

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The sculpture consists of a series of (3-5) bench-like installations sited along a hill over looking the Rio de la Plata. The benches have a curving, enveloping form with some parts of the actual seating elements "missing". They bring people together, recognize the unspeakable loss, and vow in unity, Nunca Mas.

The benches are a set of three dimensional, gestural strokes, as if from the ink of a calligraphy brush in the Japanese enso circle form. The two strokes enwrap each other as an embrace, holding the viewers within them. The circle form suggests both emptiness and completion. The shapes bring the viewers together so they might find strength from one another.

Inscriptions will be etched into the finished material. Sources of the writing might be original, some from Argentina and some might be universal. For the initial presentation I have chosen the set shown above.