Statue "The weight of One Self" (Lyon)

 statue, monument, sculpture

"The weight of One Self" by Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset
A visual and philosophical experience, the idea of an order shaken up by a subtle gesture, which is in keeping with the heritage and urban nature of the site.
A man standing upright carrying another lifeless man in his arms. Has he just dragged him from the waves thus saving him from drowning? In details that are unsettling, the faces of the two protagonists turn out to be identical. The man is carrying his double, and in so doing becoming his own saviour but also his own millstone. These philosophical concerns echo the questions of civil and individual responsibilities which are debated every day in the Palais de Justice. Designed by the artists Elmgreen&Dragset, the work follows on from the long tradition of sculpture: the heroic nude and the marble even if here it’s a case of a new technique (solidified marble powder). A formal study in the blink of an eye of the architecture of the venue. Because of its scale being large than life-size, this 2.7m tall sculpture is also a landmark on the landscape.
“The work is very typical of our contemporary culture. It’s not celebrating a hero, nor anyone pursuing a goal, or trying to achieve something. It’s to be the story of someone trying to save himself”.