This iron statue represents a Brigasque ewe. Modest in size, it captures the essence of the animal; a rare breed native to our beautiful Franco-Italian mountains.
The ewe is depicted in a natural posture, with particular attention paid to the details of its dense, curly fleece, characteristic of the breed.
Iron, a robust and timeless material, adds an industrial aspect to the sculpture, contrasting with the softness associated with the animal.
The sculpture of a Brigasque ewe, an emblematic animal of the upper Roya valley, a land where pastoralism is an age-old tradition.
Azziz was commissioned to create this work.
The metal sculpture produced by Azziz's workshop takes into account the specific characteristics of the brigasque ewe, such as the rounded muzzle, the captivating horns, the long, slender limbs and the garter-like wool, but with a bold artistic interpretation that expresses a unique vision of the animal.
Despite this freedom of expression, the essence of the sheep remains intact, creating a work that evokes both reality and imagination, age-old tradition and modernity.
It was decided to install the Brigasque ewe in the square leading into the village.
The idea is to let visitors know that this land has been nourished for millennia by pastoralism, which is still very much alive, and that they are entering a land of traditions that the inhabitants have adapted and integrated into contemporary contexts, while preserving their essence and cultural value.
The Brigasque ewe thus symbolizes the preservation of traditions in a modern context, representing the balance between the present and the past, and emblematizing the preservation of cultural identity while allowing it to evolve.
Text by Didier Lanteri
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