Jacadit : L'Objet Fantastique (The Fantastic Object)

"Don't some objects that surround us emit tiny vibrations? Placed under a lid, suppressed under cover, stored at the bottom of a cupboard in the cellar or in a trunk in the attic, they wait their turn patiently, containing their fury like old alarm clocks all wound up. Tick,tock,tick,tock... Almost imperceptible resonances at first, but which become, for those who can hear them, a haunting, rumbling, throbbing sound, defying all reason.What gloomy forebodings advance upon you like ink black clouds ? This flow of strange visions, flood of extravagant stories, doesn't it threaten to overwhelm you? Will you resist for long the confused murmurs of dreams? You know the words of the poet : "inanimate object ! Do you have a soul then ?"But you did not imagine it evil or devious.You are now warned : things do not wish only good for you ! Jacques Vandenheede"
A forgotton story has been published in the second issue of the Jacadit collection. The theme of "l'objet fantastique" (The Fantastic Object) was subsequently used in an exhibition at the original staging. The staging of strange objects steeped in history from the world of exhibited comic books, evoked the atmosphere of "curiosity cabinets". This exhibition took place at the old Mercelis d'Ixelles library, 15th to 25th June 2010.
As I turned the corner of a Brussels square, a statue caught my attention and my curiosity. Who was it ?

As my research progressed, I discovered the story of Gabrielle Petit, heroine of the Great War. Her glorified destiny and her personal story led me to understand how a myth is created. Work of cross-checking information and investigations at the scenes of her life made this project a reading in layers. The technique of overlaying drawings on tracing paper corresponds to this reflection.