The old name for the area of Brittany where I live is Brocéliande, usually sub-titled "Land of myths and legends". The Association Etangs d'Art - 'Lake Art' - celebrate this mythological past each year with art installations placed in or around a selection of the many lakes in the area. This particular installation entitled 'Ultimo' is floating in a lake deep in the forest in an area known as "La chambre du loup" - 'The wolf's bedchamber'. The sculpture is made of tree branches and wild clematis vine and is 5m long, 1.5m wide and 0.8m deep: it is anchored to the lake bed but is free to move and turn with the movement of the water and the wind.
The artist, Véronique Matteudi describes her piece thus:
With the passage of time, the seasons of the earth and the generations of man follow one after the other, each with its unique point of arrival and departure.
Ultimo and man both will die, decompose and fall to the bed of the river where each will nourish seasons and generations yet to come and become one with nature.
The river and the art installation stand therefore as a metaphor for the River Styx, mythological place of passage between two worlds; that of the living leaving the living world behind, and their final destination, the land of the dead.
This version is processed to show my take on Ultimo nearing her Final Destination whereas the 365 album shot shows her just leaving the Land of the Living.
