"Transmutation",
d'un mosaïc à l'autre, travail
in situ, Synagogue, Ostia Antica, 2008/2009. white Thassos marble and black
Zimbabwe granite, 9.0 x 4.8 m
In
the most spacious environment of the synagogue, Buren constructs
an in situ piece: designed for the space and indissolubly
tied to it. As a continuation of a fragment of an existing
two-tone mosaic (black and white), the artist constructs
a new mosaic carpet using blocks of black and white marble.
A cornice with black and white stripes continues that of
the original mosaic, framing a black and white checkerboard
whose motif is mutated by the mosaic that occupies the space
adjacent to that in which Buren works. This operation of "transmigration" from
one mosaic to another gives the piece its name.