Bonjour & Hola!
This summer my dad, Albert, and I will be walking the Camino de Santiago trail for the second time. Our first walk was in 2011 and done in memory of my mom, Lillian, and her two sisters, Arlene and Virginia who all passed away in 2010. We began in the town of St. Jean Pied de Port, France and finished in the city of Santiago de Compostela located in the region of Galicia in northern Spain. For the journey, I made ceramic Dala horses to honor the sisters' Swedish heritage and then left the Dalas at special places along the route.
For this Camino, we'll be walking 3 segments on 2 different routes, including the Camino Frances (the most popular route & what we walked in 2011) and also the Le Puy route, or Via Podiensis, one of 4 French routes that funnel into Spain. The first segment will be in the Basque region from Navarrenx (on Via Podiensis) to Roncevalles, just over the Spanish border. The second stage will be walking from the city of Burgos to the city of Leon -- this stretch spans across the Meseta, a flat plateau region. The last segment will be from Santiago to the towns of Fisterre & Muxia located on the coast in Galicia, a region steeped in Celtic roots.
The history of the path as a pilgrimage route began in the 9th century when, according to legend, the bones of St. James the Apostle were found buried in Galicia. As the story goes, St. James had evangelized there before returning to Jerusalem. In 44 C.E. he was beheaded; his remains were then transported by boat back to Spain and buried in a crypt until their discovery in the 9th century. Afterwards, a church and city of Santiago de Compostela became established in this area, and reports of miracles from St. James' relics brought thousands of pilgrims to Santiago. Over the centuries, the Camino endured cyclical periods of popularity. More recently, interest in the path has undergone a resurgence, particularly the Camino Frances, which is one of a network of routes that span across Europe that lead to Santiago.
My interest in the Camino began in 1997 when Mom gave me a CD titled Santiago by a favorite Celtic band of mine, The Chieftains. The CD is a tribute to northern Spain's Celtic and Spanish musical traditions & 'follows along' the Camino. It ended in Vigo near Santiago with a celebratory song recorded at a bar with everyone there joining in the revelry. I wasn't familiar with the Camino (neither was Mom) & didn't quite understand the significance and route's history until a few years later when I attended a bookstore lecture by author Elyn Aviva. Elyn had done Ph.D. dissertation research in cultural anthropology on Camino Frances, walked it in 1982, & then wrote a book about her experience, Following the Milky Way. After hearing Elyn's talk & reading her book I dreamed of walking it!
I then explored the Camino in M.F.A. studies from 2002-2004 and recent graduate research in Art & Religion. The Camino has only become a more widely known topic in academia during the past 15+ years -- back in 2002 there wasn't all the information resources now available, and it was exciting to find any narratives yet alone someone who had walked. Of course, since the movie The Way came out in fall 2011, online info (blogs, YouTube videos, etc.) has exploded. When Dad and I walked in the summer of 2011, we didn't meet many others from the U.S.; now the number of Americans walking is on the rise.
On the blog I'll be posting photos and historical, art historical, & cultural information that will be used for future art and teaching projects. The blog will be a 'work in progress', and I'll be editing and adding to it during and after the trip. Thus, it might change shape from day-to-day and months ahead.
In conjunction with the walk, I've created ex-votos (Latin for "from a vow"), anatomical objects similar to those that medieval pilgrims brought to shrines or sacred sites in hopes of healing or to give thanks. Ex-votos were my research focus at GTU. The ones made for the walk represent physical challenges of family members & friends. I'll leave the objects at shrines & other places along the route.
Most of the ex-votos were cast in beeswax, a substance considered sacred during the Middle Ages. Bees were thought to be divine animals and their wax became a staple for candles used in church ceremonies.
Images of a few casting steps:
Mixing plaster for the second half of the mould
Melting the beeswax in a double-boiler -- the soft wax has an organic quality that resembles anatomical forms akin to ex-votos.
Working at friend Johanna Hansen's studio -- she's sitting with her son Elden home from college for the summer. Scruffy the cat and Chi-Chi the Chihuahua keep everyone in line.
Ex-votos released from the moulds -- the pour spouts will be cut off and the forms cleaned up to finish. They'll be put in sheer fabric bags I've made for presentation.
Getting ready for the walk has involved many months of preparation. Thank you to friends and family who offered support! Special thanks to Johanna, Connie, Pam, Heidi, Joe & Lynne, my cuz Wendy, Suzanne & other 'healer' friends who helped me prepare for the Road ahead.
