Yves had received the boards which he had carefully framed. They were enormous and very heavy. Their transportation had to be organized, the models hired: Elena, Gilles; the photographers: Pierre Joly and Véra Cardot, the cameraman, the artist Alex Kosta as the fireman, and some assistants for the handling.

The setting in that industrial warehouse was surreal; the cold, the water and the noise of the flame-thrower which Yves manipulated with apparent ease even though it weighed over eighty pounds.

Seeing these photographs again, I seem all huddled up in a corner where I sat, four or five months pregnant. The atmosphere was tense: we were all aware that something of historical importance was happening.

Nevertheless, nothing was left to chance. Yves was working methodically; his concentration was impressive, almost painful, on the edge of rupturing: we were all fascinated.

He went from panel to panel, positioning the girls differently for each one, imagining choreographies and settings beyond our understanding, as obviously a wet body does not leave any visible traces until it is revealed by the magic of fire - just like the image which suddenly appears in the photographer’s lab, except that here no cheating was possible. Looking at the short film and the many pictures which document this event, one becomes conscious of the sheer physical feat that the creation of these works represents.

Rotraut Klein-Moquay
Paris, 25 March 2012