As the child of refugees who fled the Holocaust my work pays homage to my heritage. “Never Forget” and “Never Again”, are the concepts that connect my current project. My installation “Never Forget” and “Never Again” becomes a mnemonic key to history, history that must never be forgotten. Stones, pebbles and ceramic figures are poignantly displayed as a memorial to the Holocaust.
In Judaism pebbles and stones are placed on graves to keep the soul down. Stones are a means by which the living help the dead to “stay put”. They create a sense of permanence and strength. Stones do not die. In moments when we are faced with fragility of life the stones reminds us that there is longevity amidst suffering and pain. While other things fade, stones and the soul endure. The stones in my work represent the millions who perished during the Holocaust. The text inscribed on the stones is the Hebrew prayer for the dead.
The stones are thrown and altered to symbolise an individual; all different sizes and shapes. No one person is the same. No stones are the same. By combining wheel formed and hand building techniques I am able to create individual unique pieces.
Ceramic figures are placed amongst the stones, to represent the survivors. The ceramic figures are sculpted by hand allowing me the freedom to create their distinctive character as they emerge from the material. The figures surface texture adds to their melancholy.
The installation of the stones and figurative forms pay homage to those that perished and survived during the Holocaust, an historical act of genocide that must never be forgotten and never allowed to happen again.
JENNY WIGGINS 