Suite 560
A VIDEO INSTALLATION BY
frédérique de Montblanc www.frederiquedemontblanc.com
BIOGRAPHY Born and raised in Brussels, Frédérique de Montblanc received a BFA in Theatre at Concordia University in Montreal in 2004. She then completed her MFA in Design & Production from the California Institute for the Arts (CalArts) in Los Angeles in 2007. Both scenographer and visual artist, her work has been exhibited in Los Angeles (Outpost Gallery for Contemporary Art, Highways Performance Space, BetaLevel Gallery, CalArts), Houston (Lawndale Art Center, Artstorm Gallery, Slab in Temporary Space, Nance Street Studios) and Brussels (Nadine, Vasthouse, BAF, Art Asylum). Her set design work includes Firebird and Titus Andronicus with the Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre Company based in Houston, TX. More recently, she designed I Would Prefer Not To by Selma Alaoui (Theatre les Tanneurs, Brussels) for which she was nominated for best scenography at the Belgian ‘Prix de la Critique 201’. She also created sets and costumes for Les Buveuses de Cafe by Compagnie Mossoux-Bonte (Theatre Romain Rolland, Paris | Internationales Figurentheater, Erlangen | Theatre des Brigittines, Brussels). She currently lives and works in Brussels.
Suite 560 A VIDEO INSTALLATION
PROJECT DESCRIPTION Between desire and frustration, vulnerability and sublimation, Suite 560 is an interactive multiverse. Viewers are invited to travel through and in between layers of reality. Space is deconstructed, image is fragmented, sound develops through counterpoints and breaks.
/ Visual research /
THE PREMISE In a hotel suite, a couple seems to be on the verge of indulging in a playful evening of intercourse. The viewer is trapped in a form of time warp right before sensuality. Using cinematographic tools and collage effects, this video piece reveals different aspects of our two characters’ consciousnesses. As if immersed in the anxiety of this awaited first touch, the viewer gets a glimpse of their fantasies, projections and fears. The tall woman grows a beard, the small man’s seat transforms into a much larger man. The tall woman’s legs become hairy and masculine then suddenly she becomes a microscopic dancer while the small man draws a fake moustache on his face….
SPACE Space and Image are deconstructed into series of layers that are spatially isolated. The scenographical device needed involves two semi-transparent projection screens and a back wall. Each projection surface receives different sections of the final image. The final effect is a collage one where both editing mechanisms are deconstructed and exposed while simultaneously blurring duration and focus for the viewer.
SOUND The soundtrack of Suite 560 is an original music score composed by Belgian electroacoustic artist Loup Mormont. It involves four monologues by Frederique de Montblanc extracted from her play ‘ TX Mess Passaquaille’.
/ Installation at BAF, Brussels, Belgium, March 2012 /
/ Video stills /
/ Installation details /
www.frederiquedemontblanc.com www.vimeo.com/user6931259 f_demontblanc@yahoo.fr + 32 (0) 470 35 43 34
Photos: Š Noemie Nicolas Mise en page: AmÊlie Landry