Arthur H.’s Wonderful Nightmare

For the first time, bawdy and rebellious poetry is making its way into the Société des arts technologiques (SAT). Le Cauchemar merveilleux began as acollection of poems and tales by Arthur H. This is another successful

marriage, and a meeting with the enigmatic French singer-songwriter

about his immersive experience. Arthur H. explains that the show, built from 17 poems, is the realization of a dream after a week of sleepless nights. He writes highly visual poetry and was drawn to the idea of finding a kind of primitive cinema, both archaic and futuristic. For him, the next artistic material is space: space must be

drawn so that the mind can wander. Visiting the dome

was deeply inspiring. To keep technology from overwhelming words in this multisensory world, he says one must look for images that do not crush sounds and words, but stimulate them even more. Everything must remain suggestive; an image should never be imposed. He is happy to bring theatre back into the SAT dome, because words can

and the environment is compatible with

the abstraction of the work. Montréal was well suited to the project because, in his view, the city is currently in a state of artistic grace. It is a place where everything feels possible. After the performance, the founder of SAT spontaneously offered Arthur H. a lifetime residency within its walls. The text

includes an excerpt

from Le Cauchemar merveilleux, in which the brain becomes the airport of Los Angeles on an August night, crossed by thoughts, premonitions, flashes, intuitions and sensations that take off, land and fly away. At the top of the control tower, the speaker wonders whether he is the solitary sky controller who draws or erases the sparkling runways, and whether by turning the stars off or on he becomes the wrecker or rescuer of luminous thoughts crossing the universes. Sound artist Léonore Mercier,

and composer, creates protean works.

She explains that the team tells stories in musical, spatial and cinematic dimensions, and that the challenge is to produce attentive listening and allow a moment of freedom. Her original tool is the synesthésium, a giant domeof metal structures holding 24 speakers and eight video projectors, enabling 3D immersion in sound and light. Its ambisonic sound is unique and well suited to new creations. Maxence Mercier creates projects between digital arts, music and

video. Through multiple interactions,

he extracts the materials of his work in search of a form of writing that can be made sensitive and accessible. He notes that three interpretations coexist: image, sound and words. Poetry brings a different dynamic, a relationship to time and an aesthetic that must be respected. Without overloading the piece, the goal is to create an immersive environment that transports spectators elsewhere and lets them be carried by the work’s sensitivity. Le Cauchemar merveilleux is presented until May 13, Tuesday to Friday at 7 p.m.