Eglė Širvytė, Lithuania
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Have you ever held the light in your palm?
Seen a sphinx drinking daylily’s nectar?
Or stopped to watch flying gaurs as they carry the summer away?
Have you dived into the river naked?
This summer is about the senses. There is an urge to touch, smell, hear. As if something had awakened something primordial in me that had been sleeping. A strong desire to know what I am surrounded by, what I stand on, what I smell. The squawking of cranes, the cooing of wood pigeons, the swishing of sweet flags, the bleating of roe deers, the timidity of herons, the fragrance of meadows, the glowing of fireflies, the intricacy of plants…
All this slows me down considerably – insights take time. My inner fullness and growing curiosity bring me to the realisation that I don’t need that much – just to be and feel.
To me, the word ‘museum’ means history. And history means experience. Mammoth bone necklace reminiscent of prehistoric times work in the context of a traditional museum, but the concept is also relevant for a contemporary person.
The necklace is the preservation of my explorations that will remind me of what mattered to me most in the summer of 2020.