Post by stuart on Feb 13, 2005 11:09:42 GMT
Photograhing the Lourdes of Rock'n'roll
Michelle Campbell's exhibits
On July 3, it will be three decades since Jim Morrison was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a Paris bathtub and quickly buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery. Today, his grave continues to attract fans from around the world. with officials estimating that well over a million and a half visitors flock to the cemetery each year. The Doors’ website expects that 50,000 fans will come to the Père Lachaise to mark his 30th anniversary.
Photographer Michelle Campbell will be there. She has been focusing on Morrison’s grave and the people who visit it since she first came to this city in 1989. “I started with a documentary project on the sculptures and monuments of the Père Lachaise,” says Michelle, “and I gradually became aware that the scene around Morrison’s grave revealed an important sociological story.”
Indeed Campbell has captured with her pictures what she calls the “Lourdes of rock’n’roll.” “It’s like a holy place. The gravestone is an altar where devotees leave notes, poems, graffiti and all sorts of memorabilia. Some pour wine on his grave in homage... The place is a strange mixture of ancient ritual and myth. His epitaph reads ‘Kat ton daimona eaytoy’ which is ancient Greek for ‘he lived like he had a divine spirit within.’”
So who are these pilgrims, aging boomers? Not at all says Campbell. “I see all ages from all countries.” Why do people still come here after 30 years? “The spirit of what Jim Morrison represents is timeless... It’s about being free. Whether back in the summer of love or the year 2001, he still lights people’s fire.”<br>
Michelle Campbell is exhibiting her photos,“Stone Immaculate, the grave of Jim Morrison,” at the Melkweg gallery in Amsterdam, June 27to July 8.
by Bob Roberts: Paris Voice June 2001
www.parisvoice.com/01/june/html/lourdes.cfm
Michelle Campbell's exhibits
On July 3, it will be three decades since Jim Morrison was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a Paris bathtub and quickly buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery. Today, his grave continues to attract fans from around the world. with officials estimating that well over a million and a half visitors flock to the cemetery each year. The Doors’ website expects that 50,000 fans will come to the Père Lachaise to mark his 30th anniversary.
Photographer Michelle Campbell will be there. She has been focusing on Morrison’s grave and the people who visit it since she first came to this city in 1989. “I started with a documentary project on the sculptures and monuments of the Père Lachaise,” says Michelle, “and I gradually became aware that the scene around Morrison’s grave revealed an important sociological story.”
Indeed Campbell has captured with her pictures what she calls the “Lourdes of rock’n’roll.” “It’s like a holy place. The gravestone is an altar where devotees leave notes, poems, graffiti and all sorts of memorabilia. Some pour wine on his grave in homage... The place is a strange mixture of ancient ritual and myth. His epitaph reads ‘Kat ton daimona eaytoy’ which is ancient Greek for ‘he lived like he had a divine spirit within.’”
So who are these pilgrims, aging boomers? Not at all says Campbell. “I see all ages from all countries.” Why do people still come here after 30 years? “The spirit of what Jim Morrison represents is timeless... It’s about being free. Whether back in the summer of love or the year 2001, he still lights people’s fire.”<br>
Michelle Campbell is exhibiting her photos,“Stone Immaculate, the grave of Jim Morrison,” at the Melkweg gallery in Amsterdam, June 27to July 8.
by Bob Roberts: Paris Voice June 2001
www.parisvoice.com/01/june/html/lourdes.cfm