GEOGRAPHY OF TIME
The work of Fiona Tan, with its characteristic visual richness and singular temporalities, examines complex issues such as the relationship between personal and collective history, the presence of the past in the present, the intertwinement of memory and forgetfulness, and the porous nature of identity. As epitomized by Vox Populi, a series of works each consisting of several hundreds of photographs borrowed from the family albums of inhabitants of a given city or country, these concerns revolve essentially around the question of the gaze.
PICASSO AND ME
Following the first stage of the project presented at the Maeght Foundation (2014-2015), this exhibition juxtaposes paintings, prints, sculptures and tapestries by Damien Deroubaix with a group of artworks by Pablo Picasso, thus underlining the essential role the Spanish master has played in the development of Deroubaix's work. From this unexpected “dialogue” emerges a shared approach to certain graphic and pictorial aspects such as line, flatness and contrast, but also the convergence of two visions of the world.
The American artist Sarah Oppenheimer has been invited to exhibit in the Grand Hall and presents a new project that visibly modifies our usual perception of the museum space. She therefore invites visitors to move around her installation and discover new points of view of the building designed by I. M. Pei.
British artist Beatrice Gibson develops an experimental approach to storytelling in her films. She is interested in the collaborative dimension, both in terms of the articulation of narrative and the production process, and thus works regularly with other artists, especially from the musical field. Editing issues related to composition but also to language and musical notation are prominent in her work.
PART OF DESIGN CITY – LXBG BIENNALE 27/04 - 22/05/2016
The objects gathered together for the exhibition defy pre-established categories such as sculpture, product, furniture, etc. They intrigue us, leaving us perplexed and, above all, incite great freedom in terms of apprehending and appreciating them. These barely-recognisable and stimulating things go beyond the usual “art or design?” or “art and design?” formulas, rendering the question of the status of objects obsolete and aiming to explore the state of things today through their incongruous, astonishing or falsely recognizable forms.
DESIGN IS (NOT) ART
As a platform for experimentation, this year’s festival goes under the provocative title design is (not) art. The fourth edition of the biennial questioned the links between design and art and the place of these two fields in an “ultraconnected” society. Through four urban interventions, four indoor exhibitions, plus conferences and educational workshops, Design City 2016 offers a wide range of rich and ambitious events.
ACOUSTIC PAVILION – EXPERIENCE BEAUTY THROUGH SOUND
Designed for the International Design Biennial in Saint-Étienne, this interactive sound installation allows the visitor to explore the relationship between space, form and sound. Acoustic Pavilion is an interactive exhibition in which visitors themselves create their own listening device by fabricating structures. Using a network of pipes, everyone has the opportunity to create long, short, straight or angular structures and hear how the sounds evolve through conical tips.