A „back-and-forth” between heaven and earth...

Authors’ Comment

A „back-and-forth” between heaven and earth... expressed through a forest of wells where the sweeps are rising and falling

"The world is a well with two buckets: when the full one rises, the empty one descends." (Romanian proverb)
What is a well?
A monument of rural civilization.
A sacred place that maintains its spirituality despite having been removed from daily use.
A space around which the community revolves.
A place of communion: celebration gatherings, religious events, mourning, weddings, and baptisms.
A site for clothing rituals and rural traditions, such as: Prayers for fruitful harvests, Fertility ceremonies and agrarian practices for summoning rain, Baptism and wedding rituals, symbolizing fecundity, funneraru rituals, Watering the animals,The myth of using water in cooking.
An archaic symbol—an ontological balance: a direct descendant of the Roman two-pan scale

What does the installation propose?
A flower market. The community is encouraged to exchange flowers: participants are invited to take a flower from the table and leave another in its place.
A tribute to water, raising awareness of the threat of summer droughts caused by climate change.
A homage to the monument of rural civilization.
The Sweeping Well
The three types of sweeping wells will use the same mechanism for submerging the bucket into the water, operated manually using a chain that raises a counterweight, allowing water to flow into the container.
At the opposite end, the counterweight is represented by a (small) river stone, attached to the upper bar with barbed wire, which will be raised onto a (black) pedestal, forming a natural sculptural silhouette.
Lifting the stone: a symbol of the burden society faces in protecting vital life sources and finding solutions to maintain life's balance on Earth.
The stone: a metaphor for collective responsibility, requiring not only physical effort but also mental, moral, and social mobilization to ensure the sustainability of essential resources.
The Colors of the Wells
The wells will feature various colors, creating a storytelling framework that highlights the rich symbolism of the rituals surrounding them. Each well will bear a metal plaque engraved with a small text dedicated to one of these traditions:
• Red: Wedding ceremonies.
• Black: Funeral ceremonies.
• Gold: Religious ceremonies.
• Turquoise: Fertility ceremonies and agrarian practices for summoning rain.
• Green: A symbol of fecundity and birth.
• Brown: Watering livestock.