October 5 to November 13, 2021
At the awards ceremony held last August by l'École d'art de l'Université Laval, we presented the l@ch@mbrebl@nche prize to Mathieu P. Lapierre. Following this prize, the artist will benefit from time for research and experimentation from October 5 to November 13, 2021 in our Laboratories.
For his project at LA CHAMBRE BLANCHE, Mathieu P. Lapierre wishes to carry out research using computer-assisted tools available in our Laboratories in order to produce sculptural elements. His work consists of personal digital and material archives. The digital interface content of its hard drives is etched onto concrete bricks using the laser cutter. In addition, multiple hard drive replicas will be 3d printed. Its intention is to present in a physical way the flow, the signs and the acronyms specific to digital technology, taking up aesthetics reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The artist thus unveils the aesthetics of the files and documents he collects while moving from digital to material.
During P. Lapierre's residency, each of his experiments, gestures and encounters will be documented photographically and videographically. The documentation of the residency will serve as the raw material in the conception of the work itself. A performative aspect of his residency work will be highlighted by the video documentation and dress that will echo the data on his hard drive. P. Lapierre's archiving practice is akin to a ritual performed in front of or behind the images and gestures captured. The artist constructs an architecture of digital artefacts.
Born in St-Félicien in Lac-Saint-Jean, Mathieu P. Lapierre now lives and works in Quebec. He left his native region when he was 20 to study cooking, a profession he exercised alongside his artistic practice. He returned to classical music studies before enrolling in visual arts at college. Mathieu's multiple professional experiences feed his artistic practice, notably through the work of video, sound and the documentation of existence in all its forms. Mathieu graduated from Université Laval with a Bachelor of Visual and Media Arts and began a master's degree in visual arts in the fall of 2021. He has presented his works at digital exhibitions (Galerie Galerie, 2017) and at l'Intercollégial d’arts visuels where he won an award of excellence for his digital work Ongles roses, Le marcheur et sa laisse as well as Plage mouvementée (2018). In 2020, he exhibited at Banc d´essai at the Galerie des arts visuels at Université Laval.
Photo: Carol-Ann Belzil-Normand, 2022.