La Matriochka by Morgane Beyrend

Object / Conceptual

Mixed Media Catalogue.

La Matryoshka nesting dolls fit inside each other, symbolising the different layers of memory, from the crudest to the most delicate and fragile, representing the various types of fragmented identities of Alzheimer’s sufferers. The materials, from the central piece made of cut stone to the larger piece made of gold-plated fabric, have decreasing levels of hardness, texture and longevity. The shape fades in the same way, from the core, clearly identifiable as a figurine, to the egg-shaped outer piece.
By exploring materials (stone, wood, ceramics, blown glass, fabric, gold-plated foil, and various techniques), this piece explores the different ways in which memory and identity alter as the disease progresses, through a symbolical prism, and the figure of the Russian doll.

Jury: Morgane Beyrend’s work deals with Alzheimer disease and age. The loss of control, which is inflicted by the disease, is reflected in the growing loss of definite forms. The motive of the Russian Matriochka symbolizes the reduction of the person. The increasing loss of control in shape and the graduation of materials relate to the fragility of age. The work might help the families of the patients to understand the illness better and also might serve as comfort.