ERODED
HERITAGE
2023
Isabel Judez and Iga Vandenhove
Series of art installations, photographs, drawings, and videos
Installation created as part of an artist residency at Les Jardins d’Étretat avec la contribution de l’artiste sonore Iga
Vandenhove.
Excerpt:
Inspired by the landscapes of Upper Normandy, this installation delves into a deep reflection on erosion and the fragility of our ecosystems, featuring regional materials to evoke the Aval cliff. It incorporates a social approach, realized in partnership with the Schuman Perret High School in Le Havre. Isabel Judez, the original initiator and visual director of the project, presents a mathematical and structured interpretation of the region’s natural and architectural heritage. She examines the consequences of mineral resource extraction on the construction of our urban environments. French artist Iga Vandenhove was invited to manage the sound dimension, creating an auditory illusion reminiscent of the English Channel coast. Through artificially created sounds, this collaboration questions the human impact on ecosystems and the boundary between the natural and the artificial.
Eroded Heritage, 2023
Isabel Judez, Iga Vandenhove, installation
Marine terrazzo, terracotta,
concrete, reused sedimentary
rocks, steel, motion-sensor sound
devices
L 14.00 m x P 0.30m x H 1.62m
The work consists of thousands of stones representing different stages of natural and artificial erosion of materials. Placed on three terraces on different levels, the installation shows a section of the Aval cliff in its constant formation and destruction. This kinetic effect depends on the visitor’s point of view: from one spot the work seems to form the complete landscape of a cliff, and from another it disintegrates and reverts to the appearance of separate pieces of stone, reminding us how precarious the state of natural resources is.
Combining visual and sound elements, this site-specific installation is inspired by the mineral identity of Upper Normandy. During the residency, the artists analyzed the contrasts of the architectural and natural heritage of the region, and used materials that are present both in the city and in the natural landscape: sedimentary rocks, clay, cement and shells.
Living organisms, which played a key role in shaping the cliffs of the Alabaster Coast, hold a primordial place within the installation through the use of marine terrazzo. This material, made from the remains of sea creatures, shells and cement, epitomizes the intertwining between the natural and the artificial.
These polarities are also reflected in the motion activated soundscape. Multidirectional audio sources create a sound environment reminiscent of the Channel coast. However, here too lies an illusion: the sound of the sea was in fact recreated with the use of a concrete mixer recorded in the workshop, while a drill imitates the calls of seagulls. The work directly raises the question of the human impact on modern ecosystem cycles and challenges the boundary between the natural and the human-made.
Press
Partnership / Schumann-Perret Vocational High School in Le Havre – Construction Workshop
Exhibition / The Gardens of Etretat, Etretat – From July 14, 2023, to January 2025
Acknowledgements /
To the teachers and students of Schumann-Perret High School in Le Havre: Alain, Clothaire, Enzo, Jérémie, Jonathan, Marylin, and Sandrine. To the SEGPA class of Collège Eugène Varlin of Le Havre : Alexandra, Komba, Mamadou, Raphaël, Sada.
To the Normandy Ceramics Center and Pierre.
To Le Jardin d’Etretat team: Alexandre, Anastasia, Micha, Nicolae, Olga, and Tatiana.
To volunteers and friends : Alexandre, Delphine, and Jordan.