This art is so vibrant in its fluid offering of 77 names. One of Herbert Baglione‘s Nuart 2011 creations paid tribute to those who were lost in the Norwegian terror attack that happened in July of this year. The beautiful handwritten script belied the horror by which they were taken from this world. Each name continues from one to the next in a mass offering to those, forcing the viewer to concentrate so that one name can be distinguished from another. Its sheer volume of content within the small space overwhelms the mind, and most probably resembles how the people of Norway felt on that life-changing day.
The almost black-and-white tones speak to the starkness of the event, and yet gives the viewer a sense of who that person was behind a single name through the embellished handwritten letters. And the fact that they touch one another brings a sense of comfort that they weren’t alone in that dark moment. The power in this tribute is because each name is being handed to you in the stark absence of an empty vortex. They came into this world alone, and yet they didn’t leave it alone because there was someone nearby. Comfort found in some small way, despite the senselessness of the act. Humanity coming together to persevere.
Herbert Baglione at work:
http://vimeo.com/29750222
Here are some words translated from an article written by Jo Nesbo as he describes Norway’s loss of innocence: The Past is a Foreign Country. It’s a painful reminder that things will never be the same again.
– found through Arrested Motion post -> Vimeo -> NY Times
