Alchemy 3
UNITY
A work in process…
01/03/2025 - 15/03/2025
&International Women’s Day / Journée Internationale de la Femme
The Toffee Man and The Kingdom of Ends by Linda QUINN
08/03/2025

Anne Desmet RA - Babel Tower in Pieces - Original Print
Below 1 - Unification Idealism - Annett-Parish
Below 2 - Alphabet Trees and Loops - Annett

Unity – A Work in Process
Unity is the third of the three exhibitions titled ‘Alchemy’ curated by the ATELIER MELUSINE in the CEML, Montmorillon for the winter and spring season.
It focuses on the theme that humanity is one and that each of us can find our particular fragment of the ‘philosopher’s stone’. The world is ontologically One.
One with Everything. Following both old and new ideas in Theory of Mind, philosophy and recent developments in physics and biology in contrast with long standing religious and metaphysical ideas: from Plato to Bernardo Kastrup and Anna Ciaunica.
In times of global desecration – our personal contributions matter – in our families, in our communities, in Nature. The works shown look at processes of unity and deconstruction, and begin to find a way, through language and sound to weave together disparate ideas and methodologies to take a step towards a personal, familial unification.

The Works
Anne Desmet’s etching ‘Babel in Pieces’ represents the mythological point in western story-telling of humanity being divided by the imposition of many languages, with the knowledge that, before this time, we spoken a common language. The earlier pre-Masoretic texts of this Babel legend, so often mistranslated, describe the building of the great tower. This tower, the Migdal or Magdalene is offered as a protective (feminine) conduit for spirit which brings about our ability to live in the ‘world of appearances’, what we call today, the material world. This single image contains so many meanings and interpretations, but relies on the symbol of the tower and its function as a metarepresentative device. A key card in the Tarot major arcana, Annett’s dark image of the Tower, blasted shares the space with Desmet’s both rely on the viewers ability to connect word and image, and amplify their meaning. A call and response in individual and collective comprehension.

Annett often uses text beneath or within her painted works, but here she begins to work on a novel alphabet, referencing the Phoenician and proto-Canaanite as well as glyphs from various ancient cultures, starting from a lino-print (acknowledging the huge impact of the printing press) then painting, embedding and transferring digital prints of her own paintings and drawings then re-printing and drawing into each piece. Annett-Parish responded to this process through photography and digital editing to create a parallel body of works.
These works are unfinished, and the artists will continue to work on them throughout the course of the exhibition : process.

Woman of the Year ITCHY BOOTS
The ATELIER MELUSINE’S woman of the year 2025 is Noraly Schuenmaker, otherwise known as ITCHY BOOTS. At the time of writing Noraly is in Saudi Arabia, riding solo on her motorbike, ‘Frankie’, having set off from Istanbul in the Autumn of last year, travelling through Turkey, Kurdistan, Iraq and Iran. She is a Dr of Geology, bright blond with legendarily badly drawn on eyebrows and travels with her go-pro, drone and tablet capturing some of the most extraordinary and beautiful natural sites in our world. Visiting places which we would never dream of visiting, not least due to their portrayal as ‘dangerous other’ by our media politics. Riding from Patagonia to Alaska during the pandemic and around Western Africa in 2024 she demonstrates the unity, kindnessess and similarities of our world cultures, travelling as a lone woman in our brutal world, shattering stereotypes and faux demonisations. Schuenmaker’s documentation of the natural world is outstanding and she is an iconic ambassador for unity.
The Recommended Viewing Wall
Alongside the artworks we have provided a digital appendix, which take the audience (if they wish) directly to some of the influences and ideas which inspire Annett’s work. There is seating so that the viewer can sit and use their mobile phones to enter a digital world which we take for granted and are immersed in. We all curate our personal viewing – in internet silos – here is the ATELIER MELUSINE’s curated ‘viewing list’. If you do not have time to sit and engage – take a photo and do it at home using your own screens!

Alchemy part 3, Unity
Print, paint, photography, digital film.
Desmet, Annett, Annett-Parish

The Recommended Viewing Wall (sample links)
Digital links to Itchy Boots and Bernardo Kastrup and more…
Link to ITCHY BOOTS Season 7 Episode 21 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXaI4mtYtaE&list=PL8M9dV_BySaXNvQ_V1q4UU-DirPQlX0ZP&index=21

Link Philosopher Bernardo Kastrup and Nathan Walker in discussion of Analytical Idealism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib9jDiHIsC4&t=1s

International Women's Day
Launching Linda Quinn’s prize winning novel ‘The Toffee Man and The Kingdom of Ends’. Winner of the Pen To Print writing prize 2023.

Quinn is a resident of the Vienne and wrote her book, ‘The Toffee Man and the Kingdom of Ends’ in a small hamlet in the south of the department, with a view very similar to the valley of the protagonist April’s childhood in the ‘west country’ of England. We are delighted to host the French launch the novel here in Montmorillon, the City of Writing, SW France for International Women’s Day. Quinn will be in the gallery @ 20 Rue Montebello on the evening of 08 March 2025 reading extracts from ‘The Toffee Man and The Kingdom of Ends’.
The event is free but do please RSVP to email - annett897@btinternet.com

‘The Toffee Man and The Kingdom of Ends’ by Linda QUINN
“It is 1968. Life is changing fast as the world prepares for the moon landings. When April’s stepdad, Andy, is sent to prison April and her family are moved from the caravan in the valley she loves, to a village house. She’ll miss Eli, but he has to get back to America and get a man on the moon. The family are not welcome in the village, except for the kindness of Reverend Fisher and his sister at the local church. Undeterred, April explores this new world, befriending The Toffee Man, a war veteran and a clock mender, who struggles to manage his garden. When Andy is released he uses her friendship with The Toffee Man to cover his latest crimes – with tragic consequences.” Quinn 2024

”As we switch between the voice of April and the adults around her, The Kingdom of Ends is an intense and soul-punching read that transcends time. I cried and smiled in equal measure for the characters who have never left my thoughts”.
Teri Case 2025. Case is the author of; Tiger Drive and Finding Imogene.

“Linda Quinn has created a vivid, sometimes brutal yet deeply compassionate world for us to walk into that pulsates with both heartbreak, and redemption. The Toffee Man is a beautifully written story that resonates and ripples long after the first reading”.
Emer Martin 2025. Martin is the author of Thirsty Ghosts and The Cruelty Men.