Votive field

In August 1996, Pak Keung Wan and I were part of a convoy of artists from Britia who travelled to Tuzzla, Bosnia to perform, teach, exhibit and run workshops for a week-long festival called 'Umjetnost Slobode' (The Art of Freedom). Our intention was to create an installation as a memorial to the death of seventy-one young people killed by a single shell fired by Serb nationalities. Votive Field consisted of thousands of green grasses picked from our garden and individually coated in beeswax. These were packed in an icebox and travelled with us on a long coach journey. The week in Tuzla presented us with many challenges as we searched and negotiated for a suitable venue. Helpform the Bosnian people we met resulted in the use of the Domn Moshe Pijade (Miners' Hall). Other artists contributed their work to the space and the memorial exhibition took shape. We hoped that 'Votive Field' may embody and symbolise the energies of rejuvenation and growth, and contribute to the process of healing in the land of the former Yugoslavia and the communities that live within it.