A Mosaic Hidden in Plain Sight
Have you seen it? Probably, yes, but only a little. A furtive glance, a distracted ear, the space of a single instant. Your eyes may have caught on it, and when your neck tired, you returned to your phone, your thoughts, your life. Perhaps you had just missed a genuine free digital cabaret show.
The screen mosaic at Place des Arts. Hidden
in plain sight, a mosaic of screens fills an entire corridor at Place des Arts, betweenthe Musée d’art contemporain and the halls of the Quartier des spectacles. Inthis multimedia zone made of 35 screens, a vision becomes real: digital arts blend seamlessly into everyday life. A few works presented.
On Thursday, between
1:17 p.m. and 1:27 p.m., I stood there in the middle of the passage, window-shopping in front of the audiovisual installation. Ten minutes. What does that represent in a lifetime? And yet we still do not take the time to stop and contemplate the work. Thirty seconds would already be a start. One could appreciate the tender, luminous sound design, the coloured neon lights like fluorescent bamboo, playful images of grimacing figures, Le Public by Baillat Cardell & fils, CapucineLabarthe and Lino, and artists juggling or playing banjo in Les Disciplines artistiques by Thibaut Duverneix. They are watching us. Before leaving,I looked at the screen mosaic
[vimeo id=”24942463″ width=”700″ height=”408″ autoplay=”no”]
one last time.
The 35 screens became apartment windows, allowing us to see the lives of the people inside. After a few moments spent observing them, we are surprised when they turn toward us and seem to stare back. A small irony, perhaps: imagining Place des Arts passersby, unmoved by the work they walk alongside, not noticing that they are being watched by a dozen fictional characters on the other side of the screen. So the next time you pass through Place des Arts, remember to say hello to them. The screen mosaic at Place des Arts. For full details, consult the related page, event page, exhibition
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