Cargos
It is in Istanbul, in front of the Bosphorus Canal, that the subject became evident for Consuelo le Mire. For four years she saw thousands of boats past her window and suddenly one day found a beauty in them that touched her despite their polluting reputation. Her exhibition, Cargos of the Bosphorus in 2006 received an unexpected welcome as she noticed that many people were touched by it.
During these years she also turned her attention to the construction pools, to the destruction shipyards, to the boat cemetery… Her discovery of the series Shipwrecking by Edward Burtynsky completely convinced her of the attraction she felt towards this big sea industry.
Since then, during her travels, she has incessantly looked for these places. She visited the dismantling sites of Chittagong in Bangladesh, the docks of Yangoon in Burma, the biggest shipyard in Chile in Talcahuno and lately, The Bay of Nouadhibou in Mauritania where, until recently, many forgotten wrecks were strewn about.
From there, she brought back images that she considers important. They are the testimony of her emotion and we believe her. We are taken by the contrast between these vertiginous, disemboweled metallic walls and the man who dismembers them. We are also shocked by the contrast provoked by the simultaneous presence of rough textures: the water and the sand or the renewed ships and the castles destroyed by the years…
We are at last hit by the harmony of the colors and forms exposed to the light of different latitudes. Here is the great journey of the cargos from their splendor to their decay. A lesson of fragility despite their apparent power.
April 6th – May 6th 2012
Bastion de Gréguennic, Vannes
