[ars]numerica > Artists in residence > Programming 2009 > Le défilé - Grégory Chatonsky

Artist in residence on the [ars] numerica digital stage from 2 November to 13 November 2009

In a traditional exhibition area, a gallery, a museum, an arts centre, a festival, there is a reserve, an area for conservation, an unused room that has been a little left out. . In front of the entrance there is a black curtain and a few steps. On pushes the curtain aside, on climbs the small staircase and enters a dark space. We advance hesitantly, groping our way through the void in search of a hindrance, our footsteps echo in what seems to be a relatively large area and on a surface that produces tiny cracking noises. Suddenly, we are blinded by a bright light, a white flash, we become accustomed to the light and we can at last see the place where we are. The walls, ceiling and floor are covered with a reflective surface.

We are on a slightly raised podium that is elongated like those used in fashion shows. We are moving again, hesitantly. An artificial voice begins to say a few words:

"The 22nd model is approaching. She is quite small, her step hesitant. Great elegance. She is wearing an orange blouse, while her dark skirt emphasizes her step....

The voice continues. You quickly realize that the voice is commenting on our own attitude in real time....

utter surprise Each spectator is transformed into a fashion model. Revisiting the issues dealt with by Dan Graham in Performer / Audience / Mirror (1977) and in particular the performance loop between viewer and descriptive language, this is an attempt to use the technical deficiencies of the system to produce a lag effect. What the voice says is similar to what happens without it being absolutely identical.

 

The team:

Grégory Chatonsky, installation
Jean-Pierre Balpe, text generator
Stéphane Sikora (picture analysis)
Thomas Hueber (speech synthesis)
 
Coproduction:
[ars] numerica
ENST: Speech synthesis
Bvs tech: picture analysis
Numeris causa: exhibition, mediation
Hexagram (Montreal)
Exercices de style (Montréal)

 

 

Publication date : 2009-01-15