One Day : Adeline de Monseignat - visual artist
Photo : Devin Blaskovich
Location : Mexico City
Profession / passion : Visual Artist / Sculptor
Website : www.adelinedemonseignat.com
Instagram : @adelinedemonseignat
One Day is an ongoing project sparked by the Covid-19. In the days of isolation we would like to focus on what we do best; bringing people together. Read more about the project here.
We will be posting one new day of someones life every day until we run out of contributors. See our instagram stories to experience these peoples One Day in action.
Photo : Manfredi Gioacchini
A piece of music that everyone should experience:
Ludovico Einaudi’s ‘Melodia Africana IV’. Pure bliss to listen to, eyes close, without any interruption.
What is the story behind your profession/ passion?
Just a little girl curious about the world she lives in and its materiality. I carry that insatiably inquisitive child within me and hope never to lose her, as she’s the one with the surprising questions and challenging ideas.
How do you want people to react to your work / passion?
I would like them to be somewhat moved, or to question something they had taken for granted, or even potentially discover something new entirely, a feeling, a material, a concept.
How has the current situation affected how you work?
I have to now limit my work to sketching, painting, reading and writing from home, as the heavy-duty kind of sculpting can only be done at the studio. Shows have also all been postponed which means sales have slowed down. Luckily online platforms still enable to help keep that alive.
What is the most inspiring text you read recently?
Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber. You won’t ever look at ants the same way. I have a newfound respect for them, for the industriousness, their diligence and their incredible sense of altruism and community.
Your greatest achievement?
Having managed to learn to love fearlessly considering the difficult divorce my parents have had.
Define what beauty means to you.
Something, someone, a fleeting moment that moves me from within.
Function or form?
Up until now form. But recently I have started working with a gallery called Masa who like to blur the boundaries between both and I’m learning about the possibilities to marry form and function without compromising my sculptural language.
Describe a smell that brings back memories to you.
The smell of turps brings me back to my bedroom as a teenager as I would paint late into the night.
What traits do you treasure in other people?
Honesty, humility and vulnerability.
Your most treasured possession?
My time.
What was the most defining moment in your life?
My mother giving me life.
When was the last time you learned something new and what was it?
Today. Even though ants do not feel pain, they can still feel fear.
Have you actively chosen to live in the city/town you live in?
At first Mexico was only ever meant to be a short residency. But as I fell in love with the country, and my husband, the choice became more and more obvious as time went by.
How do you relax?
Given the current circumstances and my craving for the outdoors, I switch my TV to one of YouTube’s many videos of bonfires either by a lake or a mountain top. It sounds tacky and silly but the landscapes and the sound of the crackling of the fire are incredibly soothing as you read your book. It acts faster than any sleeping pill on my cat.
If you were forced to sit still for one month straight without pursuing your current profession, how would you spend your time?
I would sculpt shapes and ideas in my mind. No one can take your imagination away.
What does freedom mean to you?
When fears have no grip on you.
Do you have any regrets in life?
I don’t believe so. Mistakes are crucial lessons for growth. However, not having seen or spoken to my father in 20 years and him turning 70 this year only reminds me how he’s not getting any younger and how I wouldn’t want to regret not seeing him at least one last time.
Lastly, how do wish to see this current situation have a positive impact on our lives?
I hope people will come to realise that diseases and viruses such as Covid-19, the swine flu, the mad cow disease, even Aids, have all originated from men’s exploitation and abuse of animals. It’s about time we evolved into a society that respects all animals the same way we care for our own pets. If anyone has ever considered going vegan, now is the time.