Why I chose to marry the Devil’s Bridge
The Devil’s Bridge is everything I could desire in a husband – sturdy, trustworthy, sensual, kind & handsome. There is longevity in the arch of his back; he has stood for 600 years, and he will stand for 600 more. This is not a decision I undertake lightly, just as our curves complement, we truly bring joy to each other, and the strength of his pylons will always carry me home. Bridgeland is love!
The story of our romance is a modern love fable – I have travelled the world for over ten years, making music with the sound of bridges, and as he felt my vibrations coming nearer he drew me to him. Our wedding is arranged with the help of friends from Barcelona, the community and artists in Arles-sur-Tech & Ceret, who give their blessing and support to the ceremony.
Although he is made of stone, the resonance of his being is very present, and I feel at peace in his strong embrace. He makes me feel connected to the earth and draws me to rest from my endless nomadic wanderings.
The wild nature of the Pyrenees Orientales appeals to me, both a haven and borderland, the mountains created a frontier and an escape route for thousands of people fleeing dangerous histories. Céret is renowned as a home for artists, painters and poets. Pablo Picasso & Georges Braque lived there, Henri Matisse and Modigliani would meet at the Grand Café, still operating today. The town is famous for local cherries, olives and cheese.
The Devil’s Bridge has a pleasing and sensual aspect; he stands high on the river bank looking up into the hills of Ceret and the valley of the River Tech. His beginnings are shrouded in legend, where the powerful nature and flooding of the River, technological feats of engineering and supernatural forces all play their part. The mystery of his missing keystone continues – perhaps he too is yearning to be united with his destiny and made complete.
In his early years, women like me – educated, independent, unmarried – had an unfortunate tendency to end up in the hands of the Inquisition, accused of being the Devil’s consorts and burned on the stake as witches. Women who exert too much independence, sexual knowledge or freedom may still be crucified on the stake of the mass media, while attitudes to those who remain unmarried, for whatever reason, are a combination of envy, speculation and pity, which although it may sting the ego, is preferable to be thrown onto a burning pyre or relegated to unpaid domestic labour.
While I respect those whose romantic and sexual feelings are oriented towards objects, mine is a symbolic affair, a pagan / animist view of the spiritual vibration in everything. He understands that I love other bridges – and men – ours is a love that embraces the vagaries of life, as materialised in the swirling currents of the river that flows beneath his magnificent body.
This is why I am marrying the bridge. He is fixed, stable, rooted to the ground, while I am nomadic, transient, ever on the road. He gives me a haven, brings me back to ground myself, and then lets me go again to follow my path, without trying to keep me tied down or in thrall to his needs or desires. I am devoted to him. The perfect husband… strong and silent!
Ceremony
How do you marry a bridge? Will you kiss him? Will he wear a ring? Excellent questions, to which I am still exploring the answers.
This is a symbolic union, to celebrate my love of bridges over ten years in a joyful ceremony with close friends. It represents my dedication to the creative and spiritual bridges that connect us all.
The wedding takes place in Bridgeland on Monday 17th June, Pont du Diable, Ceret, France in an intimate ceremony to which close personal friends and members of the local community are invited.
Send your CONGRATULATIONS! to the happy couple.
Subscribe to + ART for the inside story exclusive published 1st July.
Listen to Jodi Rose on ABC Radio Weekend Arts “Where I’m Calling From – The Pyrenees” Sat 15th Jun 2013
L’Independant Article Insolite: à Céret, Jodi s’est mariée avec Le Pont du Diable 28th June
