Spotlight on Diorella Mahieu’s PGR, a wonderful project around the church of Le Plessis-Gassot!
What program are you taking at IESA?
After a double bachelor’s degree in Art History / Law and a master 1 in Business Law and Art History from a university curriculum, I was able to join the Art Market Master at IESA arts&culture. This Master’s in the marketing and distribution of works of art allowed me to develop my theoretical knowledge in the field of ancient art, as well as my practical knowledge through training given by industry professionals.
Can you tell us about your PGR (Real-Scale Project)?
My PGR is an exhibition of postcards, photographs, and documents about the church of my village, Le Plessis-Gassot, which I found in the municipal archives. More precisely, it was the postcard showing the still-standing bell tower that caught my attention. Having never known the church looking like that, I did not recognize it right away. So I had the idea of an exhibition tracing the history of this church, which dates back to the 12th century. It allows me to introduce a church and a village in the Val d’Oise that remain little known despite other famous monuments nearby, such as the famous Renaissance château in Écouen.
Why did you choose this particular site?
The church of Le Plessis-Gassot is the heart of the village. To me, it illustrates years of French history that must not be forgotten. That is why, more than an exhibition, it is an awareness that I hope to spark in visitors. Our heritage must be restored and safeguarded so that we can continue to pass on our history to future generations. This safeguarding is even more essential in villages like ours, because these monuments represent a village. In this exhibition, I also want to highlight the tireless work of Mayor Didier Guével, who remains attentive to certain issues such as the one at the heart of the exhibition: should the bell tower be rebuilt as it originally existed when the church was built? This exhibition will be a place where issues relating to the legacy of France’s churches will be raised and debated.
How do you see the European Heritage Days this year?
Despite the current context tainted by Covid-19, it seems to me that the European Heritage Days are becoming more important. They allow us to leave our homes and visit the monuments around us. It is therefore a moment of sharing and exchange (masked) that is still being held and that we should take advantage of to continue our duty to safeguard and share our heritage.
