I have just completed a piece for the “Rust” challenge on Alter It Monthly. Although the challenge does not begin until September 1,
I am posting it early. There is a reason: This piece is in honor of all of those impacted by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005 and was created to commemorate the 5 Year Anniversary of the event.
I moved here right after the hurricane. My husband and I rebuilt a house that had been under 10 feet of water...Several homes in my neighborhood floated away. The one we purchased did not have walls, floors, windows, or doors when we bought it...It took 9 months to rebuild.
Here is the piece before I did anything to it. It was created from part of a trailer hitch that brought in a pre-fab home to friends of ours, Parker and Cathy after the storm. It has rusted in the last few years and when I went out in search of something rusted, they found it for me--such good friends!
This piece is replete with symbolism. There is a cross dangling from the piece as it was people’s faith that pulled them through. The cross is hanging from fishing tackle as many people in this area make their living from the sea. But, there’s more...We are still living with the reality of the Gulf Oil Spill that affected our water and beaches. There is a little bottle of sand to connote that. There is a rusted nail left over from the reconstruction.
And last but not least is the fleur de lis, the symbol of New Orleans in addition to a metal token that says “Forevermore.” Simply put, people who live here have deep ties and are here to stay. Of course, New Orleans is perhaps best known for jazz, so the music had to be part of this piece because music is always the backdrop to so many happy times that transpire here.
Lastly, when all of the rebuilding was done, the thing that was missing was grass and flowers...So, when we planted them, it looked like life had returned! These pictures are in honor of the rebirth of this area.
P.S. You can't tell from the picture, but this piece is really, really heavy!
