Breath of Life Memorial – Eveline Kolijn

Eveline Kolijn is a print media and multidisciplinary artist sees a profound human connection with our natural world and explores forms and patterns in nature and the relationship between our society and the natural environment.

Her Breath of Life memorial came to life when Equinox Vigil organizer Sharon Stevens saw Kolijn’s intricately carved Styrofoam creations that evoke coral reefs. Their shape reminded Stevens of memorial tombstones, an association that Kolijn had not seen in the work herself.

“I was sparked by the interpretation Sharon had of my work,” said Kolijn. “As we spoke more about the Vigil, I began to think back to my recent time as an artist in residence at a lung cancer research lab at the University of Southern California, observing breath and oxygen cycles. The new work I have made for the Vigil, the Breath of Life Memorial, features trees – reflecting on their role as oxygen-givers, as the tree of life, as a family tree – and lungs, showing the cycle of life.”

Breath of Life is a memorial to celebrate life and connectedness. Each breath we take, in close observation, is a tribute to those who have passed, each breath a memory of one we have lost. In the vigil, we keep and cherish the memories to those who have breathed before us alive. evelinekolijn.com