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 and graphite on paper.
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.
The sculpture consists of a series of (3-5) bench-like installations sited along
a hill over looking the Rio de la Plata in Buenos Aires. 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 one another 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.
