56

A B

O U

T M

Y W

O R

K / A

PRO PO

S D E M

O N

TR AVA

IL

which suggested archives and history in motion. En 2019, Films d’Ici m’a chargé de concevoir le générique d’une série de 50 épisodes pour ARTE, intitulée Faire L’Histoire, présentée par Patrick Boucheron. Le concept final comprenait des séquences filmées de mon travail sur la porcelaine, une forme d’archives de l’histoire en mouvement.

Page 29-30) ALBUM LA PAILLADE / CAF Hérault Commission (2021) “During your 2021 residency at the community centre you coordinated a valuable artistic project with the residents of La Paillade. This work of remembrance, based on encounters with residents, culminated in the creation of your magnificent installation. Your artwork, displayed at the entrance of the community centre, is visible to all. Album La Paillade, reminds those entering the centre of our commitment to fostering community spirit. I therefore thank you warmly for your dedication to the people of La Paillade!” Thierry Mathieu, Director of CAF Hérault, France

“En résidence en 2021 au centre social, vous avez mené un projet artistique précieux avec les habitants de la Paillade. Ce travail de mémoire, à partir de rencontres avec les habitants, a abouti à la réalisation de votre magnifique installation. Votre œuvre accrochée à l’entrée du centre social est visible de tous. Album La Paillade rappelle, aux personnes qui rentrent au centre social, notre souci de favoriser le vivre ensemble. Je vous remercie donc chaleureusement pour votre engagement auprès des publics de la Paillade !”

Thierry Mathieu, directeur de la CAF Hérault.

Page 31-33) OUR CODEX (2018) Our Codex is a large-scale rotating mobile weighing approximately 70 kg. It comprises 24 fired porcelain paintings, approximately A4 in size, mounted on the ends of 12 iron rods up to 6 m long. These hand-painted interpretations on porcelain of photographs of my family, naturally weigh down the ends of these rods, forcing them to arc downwards resembling fruit laden branches. The initial idea for the structure was inspired by the haunting song “Strange Fruit,” sung by Billie Holiday. However, Our Codex is not a song of protest but rather an attempt to visualise several generations simultaneously in a kinetic sculpture. Unlike a photograph album, there are no pages to be turned here. This visual inventory silently rotates above our heads, displaying archives of memories in the air, until they fall to the ground as inert cobalt shards. The installation is accompanied by a soundscape, composed by James S. Taylor, who incorporated audio samples of my domestic life. Short film of installation (2 min 34 s) https://vimeo.com/327009665 Our Codex est un mobile rotatif de grande taille pesant env. 70 kg.

L’œuvre se compose de 24 peintures à la main sur porcelaine cuite, d’un format proche du A4, fixées aux extrémités de 12 tiges de fer pouvant atteindre 6 mètres de long. Ces interprétations de photographies de ma famille alourdissent les extrémités de ces tiges, les forçant à s’incurver vers le bas, à la manière de branches chargées de fruits. L’idée initiale de la structure a été inspirée par ‘Strange fruit’, chanson envoûtante interprétée par Billie Holiday. Cependant, Our Codex n’est pas un chant de protestation mais plutôt une tentative de visualiser, hors du format habituel de l’album photos, plusieurs générations simultanément. Même si les pages ne peuvent pas être tournées ici, l’inventaire visuel tourne silencieusement comme un carrousel pour afficher nos archives de souvenirs et finalement disparaître en éclats de cobalt inertes formés sur le sol. L’installation est accompagnée d’un paysage sonore composé par James S. Taylor, qui y a intégré des extraits audio de ma vie quotidienne. Court métrage de (2 min 34 s) https://vimeo.com/327009665

Page 34-36) SUSAK SENTINELS (2018) I presented Susak Sentinels at the Susak Art Biennale Expo 2018, held on the Croatian island of Susak. This project was inspired by an old local superstition called ‘Mrak’, meaning darkness in Croatian. Mrak is believed to carry malevolent forces targeting children and anyone who ventured out alone at night. It seems that the child’s universal fear of the dark, followed the inhabitants of Susak into adulthood. The ancient myth decrees that fire is the only way to protect oneself from Mrak. A bonfire, a fireplace, a torch or even a lit cigarette will do. No myth is born from thin air and since the dawn of time, darkness and light have played with our perception of good and evil, right and wrong. Susak Sentinels was conceived to revive and perpetuate this quaint myth, while symbolically offering the island lasting protection against potential malevolent influences. The project consists of 12 hand-painted fired porcelain paintings, each a hand-painted interpretation of a photograph involving fire that were contributed by artists participating in Susak Art Biennale Expo 2018. With the help of a local fisherman, I dived with each porcelain painting into the sea and released them into the depths at predetermined GPS coordinates, creating a symbolic protective ring around the island – 12 unique testimonies of moments linked to fire, now invisible in the depths, inextinguishable, and forever integrated into the myth of ‘Mrak’. Short film (3 min) about Susak Sentinels taken in Croatia in 2018: https://vimeo.com/274097977 J’ai présenté Susak Sentinels à la Biennale d’art Susak Expo 2018, qui se tient sur l’île