MARTIN MESSIER
Sewing Machine Orchestra (installation)
/CAN/
Singer sewing machines, objects charged with collective memory and family histories, evoke a transfigured past brought back to the present and decontextualized. In Sewing Machine Orchestra, twelve domestic machines, collected and diverted from their utilitarian function, become the protagonists of a choreography orchestrated by computer and amplified by contact microphones.
Directly inspired by the performance of the same name, this installation reveals the sound and light potential of this familiar object. Unsettling in the agitation it generates, the work evolves in a crescendo of sound: like a polycephalic mechanical monster, the machines come to life with increasing intensity, filling the space with a low tone.
The omnipresent light accentuates the spectral effect of the installation. It transcends the overall choreography and casts the shadows of these ghostly objects, symbolically reanimating an industrial and domestic past. This hybrid work invites us to take part in an unsettling experiment on our links to collective memory and its materiality.
Installation in Rakvere Theatre’s rehearsal room
Wed, 1.07 - 17.30-21.00 (entry in live queue)
Thu, 2.07 - 16.00-23.00 (entry in live queue)
Fri, 3.07 - 16.00-23.00 (entry in live queue)
Sat, 4.07 - 14.00-23.00 (entry in live queue)
Sun, 5.07 - 14.00-18.00 (entry in live queue)
FOR FREE
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A key figure on the Quebec and international art scenes, Martin Messier orchestrates a dialogue between sound, light and movement. His art of staging and his ability to combine technologies with natural elements (water, smoke, waves, electricity) have led him to develop a body of work on our perception of physical phenomena. He explores their manifestations - from the most imperceptible to the most monumental - through extraordinary devices. His performances and installations oscillate between order and chaos, creating a contemplative tension that invites the audience into a synesthetic experience, sometimes close to the spiritual.
After exploring the musicality of everyday objects - from projectors (Projectors, 2014) to sewing machines in Sewing Machine Orchestra (2010) - Martin Messier has extended his research to abstract sound and visual textures.
His work is presented by international institutions dedicated to live performance and contemporary art, such as the Festival TransAmériques, Trafó Budapest, Arts Korea Lab Festival in Seoul and the Festival of contemporary arts in Prague. Martin Messier's award-winning works (Prix Ars Electronica, Japan Media Arts Awards, World OMOSIROI Award, etc.) have been programmed at major digital arts centers and festivals such as Mutek, Transmediale, Sonar and Nemo. The artist teams up with digital artists (Nicolas Bernier, Samuel St-Aubin...) and renowned dancers (Caroline Laurin-Beaucage, Anne Thériault...), and surrounds himself with talented creative technologists (Nathanaël Lécaudé, David Gardener...).
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Concept, programming, light and sound: Martin Messier
Technical director during creative process: Jean-François Piché
Technical director: Maxime Bouchard
Producer: 14 lieux
Co-producer: Maison des Arts de Créteil
