Text on the flaps ( in French).
Outside:
Short french version of a Christmas carol « I saw three ships »
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.
O they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
On Christmas Day at sea.
Inside :
French song « Hey little boats »
It is about little Jean carving wooden boats to give them to his friend Maryvonne. The children are growing up and preparing for marriage. To pay for the future household, Jean leaves with Terre-Neuvas to fish for cod in the dangerous waters on the other side of the ocean, near the coasts of the Newfoundland. Maryvonne cries and asks the waves to take care of her fiancé, but the Sea, her main rival, takes away her beloved forever. As in this song, there is also a latent sadness in the holiday of Christmas, in this foreboding of the Mother of the fate prepared for her Son.
The book’s flaps have a lock in the shape of two tiny figures, a sailor and the one that sees him go. When the flaps are closed, these tiny figures are in each other’s arms. When the flaps open, the characters are forced to leave each other. The composition of the central part of the book is inspired by medieval Christmas iconography in Europe and Russia.
The book is dedicated to my French parents, the sailors. One of their ancestors was among the last Terre Neuvas, the fishermen who practiced the seasonal cod fishery off the coast of Newfoundland.
The shape of the wooden book with mechanisms is inspired by memories of my grandmother’s cousin from the late 1930s – early 1940s when they lived in a small house facing the ocean. His father, a Russian emigrant, made wooden toys to give to his children at Christmas. Among these toys were a dog on wheels, doll furniture, and even houses and a church with windows through which gleamed candle light.

TECHNIQUE
DIMENSIONS	33 х 18 х 9 cm
DATE	2020
AVAILABILITY	Available to purchase. Please feel free to get in touch.
PRICE	On demand
BONUS