Notes sur cette terre qui respire le feu (Geste d’offrande)
Notes sur cette terre qui respire le feu (Geste d’offrande), 2017
Video, color, silent, 2min
In February 2017, the artist undertook a performative journey on the snow-covered slopes of Mount Etna, in Sicily. The outcome is a multifaceted narrative (videos, fragments, texts, objects) told in scattered clues that engage exhibition visitors in the experience. The story features a philosophical character (played by the actor Fábio Godinho, the artist’s brother) tirelessly roaming the volcanic heights, at times with a following of wild dogs. He attempts to make contact with the elements by texting poetic messages to the volcano with his phone. The haiku-like messages, fragments and traces of a life lived, were later laser-cut into used postcards bearing greetings from earlier Etna visitors, which the artist bought online. Once at the summit, the character shreds the final pages of Inner Experience by Georges Bataille – who climbed the volcano with his companion in 1937 – and slowly releases the handful of scraps in an offering gesture. Displayed items collected on the journey (bottle containing snow, volcanic rock, pomegranate, etc.) become meditation objects.
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Installation view, Labanque, Béthune, France, 2017
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Notes sur cette terre qui respire le feu (Geste d’offrande), 2017, Video stills
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Installation views, Darling Foundry, Montreal, Canada, 2018
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Installation view, Labanque, Béthune, France, 2017
Notes sur cette terre qui respire le feu (Geste d’offrande), 2017, Video stills
Installation views, Darling Foundry, Montreal, Canada, 2018
Installation view, Labanque, Béthune, France, 2017
Notes sur cette terre qui respire le feu (Geste d’offrande), 2017, Video stills
Installation views, Darling Foundry, Montreal, Canada, 2018
