Heritage Resorts - Stories 2018 - Issue 2 - Magazine - Page 72
|PORTRAIT
ALISON BIGNON
MORE THAN
MEETS THE EYE
ALISON BIGNON, A RENOWNED FRENCH-MAURITIAN VISUAL ARTIST, CREATED
THE ABSTRACT PORTRAITS THAT ADORN THE WALLS OF HERITAGE LE TELFAIR.
COMMISSIONED TO CREATE ARTWORKS FOR THE RESORT BASED ON HER
ORIGINS AND FASCINATING JOURNEY AS AN ARTIST, ALISON EXPRESSES HER
ARTISTIC VISIONS THROUGH A RANGE OF MATERIALS AND MEDIUMS THAT
FULLY EXPLOIT ALL OF HER TALENTS INCLUDING PAPER (KOREAN, WASHI,
VELLUM), LINEN CLOTH, COPPER, AS WELL AS VIDEOS AND WRITING.
THE INSPIRATION
Titled D’une rive à l’autre (From shore
to shore), Le voyageur et son arbre (The
traveller and his tree), Si le palmier
m’était conté (If the palm tree could
speak) and Une Escale (A Stopover), four
abstract artworks were created for
Heritage Le Telfair, each one composed
using turquoise-green watercolour
blooms, black-inked lines and precise
black dots. While at first glance, one
might not realise that there is more
to Alison’s artworks than what meets
the eye, each piece does, indeed,
have a deeper meaning, linked to the
backstory of the resort. Before starting
any works, Alison always thoughtfully
studies her subjects to fully understand
their unique story and capture their
true essence. In this particular case,
she drew inspiration from the life of
Irish Botanist, Charles Telfair (who the
hotel is named after), his wife, Annabella
Chamberlain and their connection
to nature.
“I DREW INSPIRATION FROM THE LIFE
OF CHARLES TELFAIR, HIS WIFE AND
THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE.”
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Based on Peter Brook’s theory, all
of Alison’s artworks begins with an
‘empty space’, evoking the spectator’s
imagination to discover what is
invisible to the eye. According to
Alison, graphism is also a language
that consists of an alphabet. She uses
it in each of her drawings, but the
alphabetic representations change
depending on the vibes given off by
each subject, making every artwork she
does exceptional.
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