18 & 19 oct 2025 @ ​Morvan - Bourgogne

Spiritual Journey and Ritual in BurgundySpirituality and ritual are deeply woven into the culture of northern Sri Lanka, where I was born and raised until the age of thirteen. These traditions have shaped my sensibility as an artist — the connection between body, earth, and spirit remains at the heart of my practice.

Last summer, in Tonnerre, Burgundy, I collaborated with the town hall’s art gallery to create an open-space performance titled “Joint Family.” The piece involved fifteen participants and unfolded over forty-five minutes, using natural materials inspired by the five elements. I invited my artist friend Cécile Maldera, who then introduced me to Eric Marshall, a guide in shamanism. His connection to natural performance practices led to an invitation for me to join a shamanic ritual at the end of October 2025.

I became a prominent participant in this two-day ceremony held in the hills of the Morvan forest in Burgundy. Saturday was devoted to prayer and dance rituals; Sunday centered on nature, fire prayer, and sona. With no mobile network in the forest, the experience felt deeply spiritual — a return to simplicity and connection. Participants shared food and meals together, reinforcing a sense of community. The conch and organic percussion instruments guided the rhythm of the ritual. I mainly played the conch, which awakened childhood memories of Hindu temples near my birthplace.

The conch I used carried its own story — I had bought it in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, from a street vendor near the canal where Tamil laborers from South India first arrived in 1854.

Those two days of autumn sunlight and spiritual prayer felt like a healing retreat from urban life. On Saturday night, after a long prayer, we sat in silence for a few minutes. Eric spoke about spirituality and the awakening of the third eye. Afterward, we shared a “Joint Family” dinner and I drifted into peaceful dreams.

At dawn, I woke at 5 a.m., made a few sketches, and began writing part of this reflection. I planned to paint a third eye on canvas as an offering for the prayer room. After a simple breakfast of green tea, I returned to the open space, unfolded my canvas, and painted as the sun rose. When I presented the work to Eric, he embraced me warmly and hung the painting — the Third Eye — on the main wall of the prayer room.

Later, we gathered outdoors to build the main fireplace, guided by four guardians of the fire. As the organic drums echoed through the forest, we began the fire prayer. In that moment of devotion, I felt inspired to paint — capturing Eric’s presence and the essence of the ritual. When it was complete, Eric named the painting “Guardian of the Fire.” It felt like the perfect title. We ended the day with a group photo beside the flames.

As the sun set, I said goodbye to Eric and the others. Before I left, he handed me his latest book on shamanism — a gesture of connection and gratitude. The slow, three-hour drive back to my home near Paris felt like a gentle return from another world. Even now, the spirit of that ritual lingers within me.

Eric and I are already planning another performance inspired by the five elements for spring 2027 — naturally, it will include rice and curry.

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Spiritualité et Rituel : Un Voyage à Travers les Cinq Éléments
​La spiritualité et le rituel sont profondément enracinés dans la culture du nord du Sri Lanka, où je suis né et où j’ai grandi jusqu’à l’âge de treize ans. Ces traditions ont façonné ma manière de voir le monde — en mêlant la nature, la famille et le sacré dans la vie quotidienne.
L’été dernier, à Tonnerre, en Bourgogne, en collaboration avec la galerie d’art de la mairie, j’ai créé une performance intitulée « Joint Family ». Elle s’est déroulée dans un espace ouvert, avec quinze participants, et a duré quarante-cinq minutes. La performance explorait les cinq éléments, en utilisant des matériaux naturels comme médiums d’expression. J’ai invité mon amie artiste Cécile Maldera, qui m’a ensuite présenté Eric Marshall, un guide du chamanisme. Son lien profond avec la performance spirituelle et naturelle l’a conduit à m’inviter à un rituel chamanique à la fin du mois d’octobre 2025.
Je suis devenu un participant actif de cette cérémonie de deux jours, organisée dans les collines de la forêt du Morvan, en Bourgogne.
Le samedi était consacré à la prière et aux rituels de danse, tandis que le dimanche mettait à l’honneur la nature, la prière du feu et le sona.
Sans réseau téléphonique ni distractions, nous étions pleinement présents — connectés à la nature et les uns aux autres. Nous partagions les repas, les histoires et les moments de silence. Les principaux instruments du rituel étaient le coquillage (conque) et les percussions organiques. Je jouais principalement de la conque, dont le son me rappelait les cérémonies des temples hindous de mon enfance.
La conque elle-même portait son histoire. Je l’avais achetée à Pointe-à-Pitre, en Guadeloupe, à un vendeur ambulant près du canal où les ouvriers tamouls venus d’Inde du Sud étaient arrivés pour la première fois en 1854. Le son de la conque ce jour-là résonnait comme un écho de mémoire et de migration — un pont entre les continents et les siècles.
Ces deux journées d’automne, sous un ciel clair, furent une véritable guérison — une pause bienfaisante loin de l’intensité de la vie citadine. Le samedi soir, après la dernière prière, nous nous sommes assis en silence. Eric a parlé de l’éveil du troisième œil, la vision intérieure de la spiritualité. Ensuite, nous avons partagé un dîner joyeux de « Joint Family », avant de tomber dans un sommeil profond et paisible.
Je me suis réveillé à l’aube, vers 5 heures, rempli d’une énergie créative. J’ai esquissé quelques dessins, écrit une partie de cette réflexion, et j’ai eu l’inspiration de peindre le Troisième Œil sur une toile en guise d’offrande pour la salle de prière. Après un petit déjeuner simple au thé vert, je suis allé dans l’espace de prière ouvert et j’ai peint tandis que le soleil se levait. Lorsque j’ai présenté l’œuvre à Eric, il m’a chaleureusement enlacé et a accroché la peinture — Le Troisième Œil — sur le mur principal de la salle de prière.
Plus tard dans la matinée, nous nous sommes réunis pour construire un grand foyer avec l’aide des quatre gardiens du feu. Au moment où les tambours organiques ont commencé à résonner dans la forêt, la prière du feu a débuté. J’ai ressenti une profonde dévotion et j’ai commencé à peindre à nouveau — cette fois, en capturant l’essence de la présence d’Eric dans les flammes. Lorsque j’ai terminé, Eric a regardé la peinture et a dit : « Appelons-la Gardien du Feu. » Le titre m’a semblé parfaitement juste.
Alors que le soleil se couchait, nous avons pris une photo de groupe près du feu. Avant mon départ, Eric m’a offert son dernier livre sur le chamanisme — un beau symbole de notre cheminement spirituel partagé. J’ai conduit lentement jusqu’à ma maison en banlieue parisienne, encore imprégné du rythme du rituel.
Aujourd’hui encore, cette expérience reste vivante en moi — un rappel que la spiritualité, l’art et la nature sont inséparables. Eric et moi prévoyons déjà une nouvelle performance autour des cinq éléments pour le printemps 2027 — et oui, elle se terminera par du riz et du curry.

My artistic practice is inspired by nature, civilization, displacement, ethnic conflict, and questions of identity. It is deeply rooted in both memory and geography, brought to life through materials gathered during my travels—sand, seashells, driftwood, and spices from my birthplace.
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I have visited many archaeological sites across South Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean islands, but the La Rozel Neanderthal site was uniquely exciting and profoundly significant for my artistic field. This was my first visit as both an archaeologist and a discoverer, and working on it was truly unforgettable. Guided through the site’s story and history, I took photographs and left with Dominique Cliquet’s book on Le Rozel, carrying the experience forward in memory and research.

That day, the sun did not set—it shone brightly, holding back the rain. On the dry earth, Neanderthal footprints appeared with striking clarity. Seagulls circled above, as if guarding the site until my arrival. The atmosphere of the forest, the breeze from the sea—unchanged since their time—connected present and past in a single moment.

The Rozel site, located on the western coast of the Cotentin Peninsula (Manche, France), is one of the most remarkable Paleolithic complexes in Western Europe. Dated to approximately 80,000 years ago, it has yielded an exceptional corpus of remains linked to Neanderthal occupation. Its outstanding significance lies in the extraordinary preservation of habitation surfaces, including Neanderthal hand and footprints—an exceptionally rare occurrence in the global archaeological record.

Archaeological excavations, initiated in the 1960s and conducted systematically since the 2010s, have revealed the remarkable integrity of the occupation layers. Unlike most prehistoric sites, which primarily yield tools or faunal remains, Le Rozel preserves direct traces of human presence: footprints and handprints of adults, adolescents, and children. These ichnological records suggest a small group of about ten to fifteen individuals who frequented or resided at the site.

Situated at the base of an Armorican sandstone cliff, the site lies in an area of intense erosional processes. Stratigraphic analysis shows alternating sandy and silty deposits, sealing and protecting archaeological surfaces. These conditions enabled the fossilization of activity zones and movement paths, largely undisturbed post-deposition.

Excavations, directed by Dominique Cliquet and his team (CNRS, INRAP, Regional Archaeology Service), revealed:

• a rich lithic assemblage dominated by flint flakes and Mousterian scrapers,
  
• faunal remains of large herbivores (horse, aurochs, deer) with butchery marks,
  
• constructed hearths, attesting to fire mastery for cooking and spatial organization.
  

Together, these finds confirm the residential function of the site, interpreted as a temporary encampment associated with hunting and carcass processing.

The most striking contribution of Le Rozel is the discovery of several hundred footprints and handprints attributed to Neanderthals. Morphometric and biometric analyses indicate a group composition of around fifteen individuals, spanning adults, adolescents, and children. These ichnological records provide a rare window into group demography and the spatial organization of daily activities.

Le Rozel offers unprecedented insights into the social and economic dynamics of Neanderthal groups in northwestern Europe. The preservation of entire habitation surfaces allows for detailed behavioral reconstructions in situ, whereas most Mousterian sites preserve only fragmentary evidence. It also illustrates the adaptability of Neanderthals to Atlantic coastal environments during a climatic transition toward glacial conditions.​

The Paleolithic site of Le Rozel represents a key milestone in Neanderthal studies. Its combination of stratigraphic, lithic, faunal, and ichnological data makes it a unique laboratory for Paleolithic archaeology. Given its fragility under the threat of marine erosion, safeguarding efforts—including 3D digitization and timely publication of findings—remain critical to preserving this irreplaceable heritage.