The Found & Lost Grotto of Saint Antonio Artpace San Antonio, Texas, 2006 At the wall in the grotto you can read: WELCOME TO THE GROTTO OF SAINT ANTONIO - THE PATRON OF LOST THINGS PLEASE LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE OBJECTS IN THE GROTTO IF THERE IS SOMETHING, THAT BRINGS YOU BACK A LOST MEMORY YOU CAN TAKE THIS OBJECT - BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE A DRAWING OF IT WITH ALL YOUR FEELINGS AND WRITE A PHRASE ABOUT YOUR REFOUND MEMORY AND THEN REPLACE THE OBJECT WITH THE DRAWING Saint Antonius is one of the 14 emergency Saints. He will help you find lost things. The Mexicans even punish him if the promise doesn?t work by turning his statue upside down. He is also the patron for lovers, marriage, delivery, and fertility - and against demons and cattle disease. He is also the protector of the miners. In art his first attribute is the teaching book. Later visual attributes are the heart, the flame and the lily. At the source of the cave there is a botanical sanctum with a relict from Saint Antonius. Exploding fertility in form of growing urea fertilizer crystals are sprouting out of his open book surrounded by the carefully arranged objects that are lost and found in the city of San Antonio. Urea (nitrogen fertilizer) is the base of the modern industrialized agriculture. It is worldwide used in megatons to blow up the crops. The production of the fertilizer requires an enormous amount of fossil energy. So it is a question whether this fertility is a blessing or a curse. Inside the grotto is a gray zone where the visitor decides for herself whether or not the object belongs to her. She can make up a story and convince herself that she had lost it, or she can steal it, or is it actually really her own? If you find something, it is a surprise and a happy moment. Your mind can start a fantastic story. The drawings of the visitors can have more value than the objects themselves. The objects are found on the streets and are donated by the lost and found offices. As not that many people walk in the streets of San Antonio you can find all kind of nice stuff. Originally commissioned by Artpace San Antonio