5th january 2023

Dear Rebecca,

A Few days after our first conversation I went to the Orangerie museum in Paris, instinctively my foot took me to the large-scale Water Lilies decoration by Claude Monet. I sat there for hours, contemplating every detail and feeling the energy of the colors and patterns. I thought about our collaboration and our common desire to express the feminine sensitivity. Both of our world were here; The suspension of the foliage, the reflections of the water, the sensuality and a feeling of empowerment by the strength of nature...

In the nest of the two elliptical rooms within the museum where the 8 water lilies’s panels are, I’ve found all the inspiration I needed for our show « Un jardin secret » and a deep feeling of serenity. Overall, I think this is the most powerful tool an artist can offer to the viewer: serenity. 

I read that Monet gave his first two large panels to the Nation as a symbol of peace the day after the armistice, on November 12, 1918. What a beautiful gesture! Beauty as the response to the violence and cruelty. He also conceived this unique space, composed of two elliptical rooms within the museum, giving the viewer the « illusion of an endless whole, of a wave without horizon and without shore » in his own words.

Blending into the beauty of nature is our common research and I look forward to seeing our collaboration on the stage.

Ayline