Joëlle

In the tradition, it is Heracles who frees Prometheus by piercing the eagle with an arrow. Here, I chose to make the story my own by weaving in my personal world, replacing the arrow with my signature symbol: the lightning bolt. The sculpture thus becomes a reinterpretation of the myth, in which liberation springs from a force of my own. It becomes possible to turn the tide, to defy fate and become master of one’s destiny.

As when it strikes the earth, lightning resonates throughout the piece: in the sculpture itself, on the magnifying lens — hidden beneath a handle of stabilised boxwood burl — and in the mineral it showcases: a fulgurite, a stone born when lightning strikes sand.

With this creation, I sought to spark surprise through a secret mechanism. I also wanted to create a dialogue between the lens — cut from the blade’s own stainless steel and fully set with stones — and the main sculpture, whose details are revealed with precision beneath its light.

This piece also marks a technical turning point in my work, opening an almost infinite field of possibilities. It embodies an evolution in my use of materials, notably with the introduction of gold in several forms: plating on the lightning bolts, gold leaf on the wooden handle, and solid gold for the settings holding the citrines. The challenge lay in arranging these materials into a harmonious, vibrant whole.

The fruit of ten years of passion and three years of work, this piece was conceived with a precise intention: to stir emotion and surprise in those who discover its secrets.