The context

On September 8th of every year, a religious procession takes place on the Miremer hill, culminating in an open-air mass under the pine trees that surround the Notre-Dame Chapel. During the ceremony, some 200 pilgrims move the liturgical furniture outside of the chapel. 

The commission

New liturgical furniture for a place of pilgrimage

Raoul Marek redesigned the benches, the alter and the litter that is used to carry the Virgin of Miremer, by underscoring the idea of travel that is present at all stages of the ritual. He chose a boat as the symbol of spiritual and physical travel, and as a reference to the site's and the region's ties to the sea. 

Raoul Marek

Raoul Marek was born in Canada in 1953 of Czech parentage. He divides his time between Berlin and Paris. Since the 80's, Marek has produced works in a variety of mediums : sculpture, installation, painting, photo-montage, video and performance, nurturing a reflection based on the theme of reciprocal exchange between individuals, cultures and knowledge. Raoul Marek's work is particularly notable for its ability to implicate the spectator, making him a full-fledged actor within the work.