Water samples taken from lakes in the Laurentians. Natural phenomena recreated in the exhibition room. Ethical discussions between biologists: how far can we go? the group asks. The exhibition According to measurementsorganized and distributed between the Gallery of the University of Montreal and the Musée d’art contemporain des Laurentides, in Saint-Jérôme, navigates these (troubled?) waters, between a real source of inspiration and futuristic reflections.
Like scientists, artists do research, follow protocols, pose hypotheses. And sometimes achieve surprising results. From stays in an open-air laboratory — the Laurentides Biology Station of the University of Montreal —, According to measurements is not without surprises.
Led by Anne-Marie Belley, independent curator focused on biotechnological art, the project started in 2022 will take its final form this fall. The spirit of collaboration, rather than unhealthy competition, colors the entire exhibition as much as each of its elements. Although not very obvious, the thematic division between the two addresses points on the one hand to the phenomena of life (animation, according to the curator) and, on the other hand, to resurrection (or resuscitation).
While the idea of bringing artists closer to the scientific field is nothing new — the Galerie de l’UQAM, for example, dedicated one of its first virtual exhibitions to the subject (Science in art2008) —, According to measurements stands out for its own protocol approach: a selection of four artists following a call for applications, well-planned research-creation stays, dialogue with scientists on site, time left for work in the workshop, etc.
From the ten works presented in the two sections, the importance given to the unexpected (or to uncertainty, in the words of Anne-Marie Belley) emerges. The artists (Félix Bernier, Laure Bourgault, Diane Morin, Ana Rewakowicz) are in this sense in perfect harmony with their time. In current art, it is the process that takes priority. The result, or final work, often becomes a secondary concern.
Imposing in its dimensions, the most spectacular of the entire exhibition, the installation And if the in/visible reproduces, in eight examples, the means used in optical microscopy to observe aquatic life (at the scale of microorganisms). Created by Diane Morin and Ana Rewakowicz, an occasional duo, the work consists of a series of light projections, born from the intersection of water drops and laser rays. This proposal steeped in mystery reflects what Anne-Marie Belley puts forward: moving into the exhibition area of the biology station and the organic and mechanical phenomena experienced there make it possible to “form a new ecosystem”. The quest to understand how it works can be both science and art.
Ambiguous reports
The environmentalist content is essential in the exhibition – should we be surprised? The fragility of specimens or the imprint of our actions are manifested in particular in the kinetic work of Félix Bernier or Diane Morin, whose robotic works react to our presence. Soundscapes and shadow play also create an enigmatic context. Imperceptible phenomena will always tickle the curious nature of humans. How far to go in this incessant quest for knowledge?
This question is at the heart of the video installation Life interests usby Laure Bourgault. Five scientists must agree on the type of biology station that should be set up. Between a dream project (utopia) and another more twisted one (dystopia), the discussion is both playful and serious.
Surprisingly natural, the protagonists play on several levels, even questioning the moral principles of a scientific mission. Fictional or real words, suggested by the artist or truly embodied? The work surprises more than once.
Laure Bourgault seems to be sensitive to the benefits and harms that society derives from the contributions of science. In a second, more contemplative video, she superimposes her images of the old Station des Laurentides library with those of a 1959 NFB documentary on animal life in the Canadian North. Exploration, observation, documentation and extraction intertwine as a reflection of our ambiguous relationships with nature.
The four artists drew from their time on this campus reserved for research more than inspiration for new works. Their subject of representation concerns something greater than nature, believes Anne-Marie Belley, “that is, the experience born of [l’]adequacy between uncertainty and experimentation, which cannot be measured.” If the model is scientific, the expression remains artistic. Punctuated with poetry and moments of emotion, the exhibition also benefits from the break imposed by traveling between the two places which host it.