Codfish

Morue, 

Fabrics of the dresses of my ancestors, pearls, wax, wood

"Cod" is an installation that consists of a wooden scaffolding, on which hangs two salted codfish. When we approach, we realize that these are an optical illusion. These cod are created from fabrics cut from the dresses of my ancestors. Embroidered with pearls and encapsulated in wax, I freeze them and give them this realistic appearance. 

My hometown, Port de bouc hosted in 1830 the first cod dryings. The vast majority of women work in the salting. The conditions are harsh: cold, humidity, wind, heady odor, receptions of soda sulphite jets to blanch the cod ... Yet what these women will evoke of this profession are the giggles, the moments of camaraderie, the independence and freedom through work. Using as a basis the clothes of my ancestors, I evoke a genealogy, a line of independent women

In colloquial language "cod" means an ugly woman inspiring disgust. The metaphor applies first to the light women whose presence is reported two centuries ago near the fish stalls near the Halles de Paris. It is an insulting expression that generally refers to so-called "vulgar and outspoken" women. Strong women who cannot be tamed too much and who lead to a certain contempt on the part of men. It was through this work that the women of that time achieved emancipation, claimed a place in society, which was not to everyone's taste.