July 3, 2021 – September 12, 2021
A Walk Through Time
Carole A. Feuerman on the Mers-les-Bains Seafront
Esplanade du Général Leclerc, Mers-les-Bains, France
A Walk Through Time brought monumental contemporary sculpture to the seafront of Mers-les-Bains during the summer of 2021. Organized by the town’s cultural service as part of an expanding open-air arts program, the group exhibition transformed the pedestrian esplanade into a temporary sculpture route overlooking the English Channel.
Carole A. Feuerman participated with New York City Slicker, a monumental figure in a vivid yellow raincoat. Positioned between the architecture of the historic seaside resort and the changing horizon of the sea, the work introduced Feuerman’s distinctive combination of realism, stillness and psychological presence into the everyday experience of the waterfront.
A Figure Facing the Sea
New York City Slicker places an apparently ordinary figure in an unusual state of suspended attention. Her raincoat suggests protection from the elements, while her upward gaze introduces an emotional ambiguity that contrasts with the bright yellow surface of the sculpture.
At Mers-les-Bains, the maritime environment gave those details a new resonance. Weather, water and changing natural light became part of the work’s surroundings, while the open esplanade allowed viewers to encounter the sculpture from multiple directions rather than from the controlled perspective of a gallery.
The installation also continued a connection established the previous year in Paris. Jean-Gabriel Rolleri, then responsible for cultural programming in Mers-les-Bains, had encountered Feuerman’s sculptures at Le Village Royal and subsequently selected New York City Slicker for the town’s 2021 waterfront exhibition.
Contemporary Art Along the Waterfront
The 2021 presentation was the second edition of Mers-les-Bains’ program of monumental sculpture on the seafront. With the esplanade becoming fully pedestrian during the summer season, the municipality expanded the project to include more works and a broader group of artists, placing contemporary art directly within a space normally associated with walking, bathing and leisure.
Feuerman’s sculpture developed an unexpected local afterlife. The following year, the municipal journal reported that the local Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer had drawn inspiration from the work for a water-safety campaign, connecting its rain-soaked figure with a message about the dangers of the sea.
That response illustrates one of the particular qualities of sculpture in public space: once removed from the gallery, a work can acquire associations that extend beyond the artist’s original context. At Mers-les-Bains, New York City Slicker became part of both the visual landscape of the resort and the community’s relationship with the sea.
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