Hommage - 7 Septembre 2013

"Ils ont construit un pays...."

This magnificent marble monument by Roland Moreau graces the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The Algerian war is a wound in the memory of France and, I deduce from my limited French, continues to cause political contention. In this article it is clear that an existing monument in the city to the dead was not enough and it emphasises that this new piece, inaugurated on 30 June 2012 honours the living.

Even without a detailed knowledge of the events, this monument speaks to me through its simple but impactful design. I photographed both sides in the evening light and the camera inadvertently records how the light can fall differently on aspects of our past.