Primum Mobile

Affixed to the ceiling and spinning rapidly above the viewers, the installation produces an aerial and acoustic turbulence whose mechanical, cyclical, and repetitive energy subtly points to the environmental and techno-digital disaster threatening humanity. By propagating in an almost ubiquitous manner in the space, the drone emitted by the object and its textures reflect an era in which all areas of human activity are absorbed and guided by data. The evocation of the systematic omnipresence of information technologies inspires both fascination and apprehension, and this tension is reinforced by the formal and operational structure of the propeller, which, suspended, dominates the room and seems to hover above viewers, suggesting the panoptic presence of a flying drone.

Echoing certain minimalist music composition practices, the work uses simple harmonic structures that evolve slowly, in a cyclical and repetitive manner, sometimes approaching noise. Being concretely spatialized by a mechanical device, the reeds produce a complex set of microtonal resonances and variations. The linear simplicity of the moving object, which transforms its area of reception into an undulating terrain that can be navigated, is reminiscent of certain types of minimalist sculpture that fully engage the space by soliciting an active and spatial reception, far from a passive and disembodied contemplation.

Credits

Artist & Conception
Simon Laroche

Consultant, acoustics
Philippe-Aubert Gauthier

Mechanical engineering assistant
Nishanth Rajkumar

Production residency
La Chambre Blanche

Acknowledgements
Louise Boisclair
Institut Milieux
Projet EVA
Story Mode