Prune Nourry: Mater Earth

Devised for Château La Coste, Mater Earth takes us into the heart of humanity and the myths of creation. Prune Nourry created a monumental sculpture representing a pregnant work emerging from the earth, an immersive installation based on the principles of eco-responsible architecture. The work was first imagined back in 2010, when the artist invited a pregnant woman to pose in a bath of milk for a photography session. From those images of serenity, she created a life-size sculpture. Prune Nourry was instantly seized by a desire to produce a larger scale version of the work but it took several years of reflection before the desire became reality. The book follows the creation of the statue in situ, offering readers an original experience of symbolic rebirth. The work brings an inside view of the project and the mysteries of its conception, situating Mater Earth in Prune Nourry’s rich and varied career. We see the stages of its development towards an ideal of “ultracollective chaos” involving multiple artists and artisans, as well as Prune Nourry’s own ethical and ecological reflections and self-questioning. The work provides a rare vision of the gestation of creation, a window onto the creative process, showing everything that nourished the project and brought it to life. The illustrations resonate with this birthing process, creating a catalogue of the cultural and artistic motifs that inspired the work. Nancy Huston’s journal provides sensitive, thoughtful insight into maternity, reflecting the slow metamorphosis of all works of creation.

Prune Nourry’s projects always contain an ethical, aesthetic and scientific dimension that is unique in contemporary art. Her first monograph was published by Actes Sud in 2017 under the title Serendipity. Born in Canada, Nancy Huston has written a number of novels and essays published by Actes Sud, including Lignes de faille (2006, Femina award) and Âmes et corps (2004). An art historian, Catherine Grenier is director of the Giacometti Foundation. Born in 1960, Bono is the singer of U2 and founder of the NGO, One Campaign.