At Bruno Silva’s invitation, I spent 26 nights in his apartment. To think about an exhibition situated at his house. I used this time to reflect on my practice and my working methods. When I arrived in Clermont, I borrowed a quote from R. W. Emerson, taken from Marcel Proust’s book “Zeewind op het platteland”. The quote appealed to me, except for the imperative form, which I removed. I transcribed it and enlarged it in pencil on the wall. I gave myself several attempts.
When I copied a quotation from R.W Emerson – translated into Dutch – on the wall, I wanted to translate the extract words into French as well. At first, I translated the excerpt by myself. Simultaneously, I asked friends, family, and colleagues who speak Dutch and French to translate it too. Finally I used all these possible translations as part of the exhibition text. “Zeewind op het platteland” is a compilation of musings selected by Kiki Coumans from Proust’s “Les plaisirs et les jours” and translated into Dutch. These extracts show how the young Proust searched, explored, and developed his style. He was inspired by the essayist, philosopher, and poet Emerson, for whom nature, human solitude, and transcendentalism were paramount.
Many thanks to HomealonE and Flanders State of the Art
