MMT acquires Noëlle Herrenschmidt's drawings

The Museum and Memorial of Terrorism officiallyacquired,inMarch2023,the293drawingsmadebyNoëlleHerrenschmidt,duringthetrialoftheNovember2015attacks.ThewatercolorreporterhandedovertoElisabethPelsez,executivedirectorofthe Museum and Memorial of Terrorism ,thedrawingsthatarenowpartofthemuseum'scollectionsandwillbeavailablefordisplayinthemuseum.

Inafewquestions,NoëlleHerrenschmidttellsusmoreaboutherwork.

MMT:Youhavealreadypaintedmanytrials,consideredoutoftheordinaryorhistorical,liketheBarbie,TouvierorPapontrials,howisthisonedifferent?

 

NH:Itisdifferentintwoways.Firstofall,theothermajortrialsthatIhavedrawnwerethoseofcrimesagainsthumanityjudgedmorethan30yearsafterthefacts,butthisisacurrenttrial.Thevictims,aswellastheculpritsandeventhelawyersare30or40yearsold.Itisatotallydifferentpopulation,muchyounger,andIwasstruckbythefactthat,contrarytousual,thegendarmespresentwereinlightblueandnotinlargeuniforms,sothat,Ithink,itwouldbelessimpressiveandthevictimswouldfeelascomfortableaspossible.Then,theotherdifferenceistheperiodofthetrial.Becauseatthebeginning,inSeptember2021,wewerestillunderCovidrules,soeveryonewaswearingmasks,unlikeattheend,inJune2022.Sowehadtoadaptthedrawingtoconveytheemotionsdespitethemask,andthenwhenthepeopleunmaskedthemselves,Isometimeshadsomesurprises,becauseIdidn'timaginethemlikethat.

 

MMT:Foryou,whatwasthemostdifficultmomenttorepresentduringthetrial?

 

NH:Strictlyspeaking,none,becauseourjob,forus,thetrialpainters,istotestify,totransmit.Thereisnolimittowhatwecantransmit.Thepencilandthebrusharetheretotellwhathappened.Thus,weare"co-actors"oftheprocess,wedonotundergo,weact.However,itistruethatsomemomentsareparticularlystrong,especiallytheparents'testimonies.Iremember,forexample,awoman,amother,whowishedthatduringhertestimony,thefaceofhertwodeceasedtwinsbedisplayed.Itwasoverwhelming,moreover,withtheotherartists,therewere8or9ofus,wealllookedateachother,wefeltthatweallsharedthesameemotion.

 

MMT:Aboutyourworks,moreprecisely,whatisyourtechnique?

 

NH:Imainlyusethebrushandthepencil.Iusethebrushwithwatercolor,whichismyaccomplice,Iletitdowhatitwants.Andthen,thegraphiteleadallowsmetohaveanincisiveline.Duringthedifferenttrials,Irealizedthatthewordcouldalsobeveryimportant,soIhadtowritethesewords.Beingaleft-handedperson,Ihavethechancetodobothatthesametime.SometimesIfillpageswithwritingwhiledrawingwithmyotherhand.Oneofmyotherparticularitiesistheuseofwhite.Indeed,Ioftenleavewhitespacesinmywatercolorstoguidethereader'sgaze,whichwillfirstbeattractedbythecolor.Itisthusnecessarytoacceptnottofinishadrawingtomakesurethattheonewholookswillbewellguidedinthedrawingandthusintheprocess.

 

MMT:YourdrawingswillbeexhibitedatMMT,whatdoesthatmeantoyou?

 

NH:Itisveryimportantformethatthesedrawingscanbeseen,becausetheyareandmustbeforeveryone.Andthen,byexhibitingthematMMT,itisabitlikegivingthembacktotheirauthors,besidesmydrawingsofthePaponandBarbietrialsareintheShoahmuseum.Givingthembacktotheirauthorsmeansmakingthemaccessibletoalltheactorsinthetrial,withwhomIspentnearlytenmonthscontinuously.

 

MMT:Doyouhaveafavoritedrawingamongallthoseyoumadeduringthistrial?

 

NH:Yes,thereisonethatparticularlytouchesme.Itisadrawingthatdoesnotcorrespondtoafixedreality,toaninstant,butwhichisaconstruction.Irepresentedtheroomandascreenonwhichappearsavictim,anexceptionalwomanwhoisoverwhelming,withaboxoftissuesatherside.Andaroundthisscreen,Ipaintedthepreviousvictimontheleftandontherightthestatueoffidelity.Thisdrawingthustells,withouttheneedfortext,themixturebetweenthevictimswhotestifyandthe19thcentury.Thevictimwhoislookedatbythisstatuebringsenormouslytothewholedrawing,insistingonthenotionoftransmissionwhichisformeimportantinmydrawings.Andasintheforeground,Ilefttheroominwhite,itguidesthereader'sgaze.