While a porcelain curtain represents the duo’s lockdown experience, a video-dance explores the concept of the « wide open ».
This work is a portrayal of perception, bureaucracy and individual and collective freedom.
Artists Sandy Flinto and Pierrick Grobéty were in France during the first lockdown, and were obliged to fill out a form every time they went on any meagre little authorized trip - a procedure that was viewed critically by neighbouring countries. In 55 days, they filled out 342 forms and were stopped and checked 9 times by the police.
This installation consists of 342 forms made of porcelain and a video dance performance shot in wide-open, natural spaces. The video explores the dream of the great outdoors, the need to breathe and reconnect with nature. The installation questions bureaucracy, individual and collective freedom in times of lockdown, but also surveillance methods adopted by totalitarian regimes.
The porcelain work was carried out in a traditional manner by the artists. Porcelain is part of a tradition of French craftsmanship, and its roots can be traced to China. With the help of a ceramics-artist, manufacturing and firing procedures had to be developed and adapted, resulting in a physical and repetitive process which kept the artists busy over several weeks.
Making the video was similar to the way the porcelain sheets were made: physical action being an integral part of the creative process. Video footage was captured during a 3-day walking tour reaching isolated and high-altitude locations. Images were processed vintage-postcard-style, recalling the kind of nostalgia that is ever present in our collective consciousness.
By: Sandy Flinto and Pierrick Grobéty, with Zuzana Kakalikova and in partnership with Françoise Escale Agnan and Kulturfabrik
