The Largest in the World (Edt of 70)

Collective
The Largest in the World (Edt of 70)

Photographs: PAÏEN

Publisher: PAÏEN

28 pages

Year: 2018

Comments: Stapled softcover, 23x18cm, Risograph printing, edt of 70 ex.

Indian River, northern Michigan.
2000 residents.
Cross in the Woods, the largest crucifix in the world, no less.

In a Michigan desolated place, north of the Rust Belt, kitsch wins over Nature.
Here, human has managed to shape the landscape to make it the land of his
most exuberant fantasy.
Ostentatious sign of evangelization turned into a roadside attraction
or a pilgrimage site, this crucifix is erected proudly, but hidden out of
sight, confined to the foliage of an organized forest. It lies at the heart
of an austere complex of buildings including a church, a museum

(the nun doll museum, the largest collection in the world) and a merchandising shop.

Altogether evoking a warehouse, a retirement home or a souvenir shop,
the atmosphere of this architectural ensemble drags the visitor out of any
possible reverie other than the one of a Christian Afterlife.

Both frigid and gaudy, the crucifix is set in a perfect symmetric perspective and dominates the aera.