pazzi

Pazzi is the name of the woman who taught me to carve marble in Italy. She is a Belgian woman originally born with the name Patricia, but she changed her name (and most likely her whole identity) when she moved to Carrara, Italy. In Italian, pazzi means crazy. She had a funny story about introducing herself to other Italian artists. She would introduce herself saying "Hello, I'm Pazzi. Invariably the artist would respond "Hello, I'm also pazzi."

These past few days I've been thinking about how true this story is for all of us. Everyone of us is pazzi. I witness it everyday in others. I'm sure they witness it in me. As far as I can tell, the only mistake (commonly made) is in thinking that you are not pazzi. I also find myself appreciating the wisdom and courage of my friend and teacher. I think of her, wild hair piled into a cap on her head, cigarette dangling out of her mouth, leaning over me wearing yesterday's clothes as she tries once again to instruct me on the pneumatic chisel. She is Pazzi ,and so am I. What a beautiful thing.

Pazzi has a daughter named Luna. Also an admirable name hinting at madness. Yet the name Luna is uniquely tied to Carrara and its history.