VOT

Photography: Pol Aregall and Jan Madrenas
Work: Jan Madrenas

Synopsis

In the Parc del Castell de Montesquiu there is a hole where technicians burn the remains of pruning. Jan Madrenas left a piece of raw clay, right in the middle of the pyre, the evening before. The next day the fire was lit.

The cooking lasted a whole day, on an open fire and without an oven. The piece could not withstand such a fire and did not: it lost pieces in small explosions that could not be seen from the outside, covered by the flames. When the fuel ran out, the right base remained in the ash.

The action is part of La memória del fang, the exhibition by Jan Madrenas at the Cabanya del Castell de Montesquiu, curated by Morir de Frío. In the room, the video was shown on a monitor and, in front, the piece on a plinth.

Director’s note

I wanted to record it without interfering. Long shots, direct sound of fire, nothing else. The montage follows the order of the day: the piece between the fuel and the afternoon light, a shot of the sun burning the image, and on the other side the already high fire. From here, wait.

In the middle of the day I had to leave for class and left the camera with Jan. He knew what could happen with such a fire, even if this result was not expected.

What interests me most about what was left is something I didn’t see as it happened. The explosions that were tearing the piece apart were invisible behind the flames. They appeared later, on the screen.

With thanks to Jan Madrenas, Morir de Frío and the technicians at Parc del Castell de Montesquiu.