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2015 » Quebec » Section of Countries and Regions
| Curator: | Raymond Marius Boucher |
| Designer / Architect of exhibition: | Raymond Marius Boucher |
| Institution: | Fondation Jean-Paul Mousseau - APASQ |
Autodafé - Burning - Traces
Quebec's participation to PQ'15 aims to share the current phases of the conservation and dissemination of the scenic designer's work and, more specifically, their creative processes.
The core of my research lies in current theatre design practices, and recent developments that put the traditional role of the scenic designer at risk. I am primarily concerned with the conservation of theatrical heritage and of the traces left behind once a production has been realized. The problem of conservation became vividly apparent to me when I was delivered 30 three-dimensional maquettes of scenic designs related to several notable Quebec and Montréal theater productions. These were kept in UQAM University after the exhibitions curated by Mario Bouchard (PQ'95 -PQ'99) and at risk of being destroyed.
The production of a three-dimensional maquette is a standard step in the realization of scenic designs and, like the preliminary sketches for a major painting, many have lasting artistic merit in their own right.
The goal of my research is to increase awareness of the value of preserving these traces of the creative process.
Despite a storied history, the stage designers’ creative process is not a well documented one. Becoming a recognized professional stage designer entails many years of study, research, and practice in what is essentially a collaborative process. This neglect means that there is a lamentable gap in primary source material relating to Quebecois stage design practices. Often, the only available documentation are production photos. I believe that the availability of a high-quality inventory of curated three-dimensional maquettes and two-dimensional renderings will accelerate and enrich the development of professional stage designers in Quebec.
Central to the mandate of APASQ/Fondation Jean-Paul Mousseau is raising the visibility of stage designers in Quebec. Recently the Fondation Jean-Paul Mousseau, along with the Centre d’exposition de l’université de Montréal, has launched a critically acclaimed exhibition on the work and career of designer François Barbeau, curated by Andrée Lemieux. Another notable and ongoing initiative is the creation of an image bank aims to accumulate a significant corpus of contemporary Quebec artistic creations in the visual arts, graphic arts and crafts, including stage design, and provid it online for researchers, professional stage designers and the general public.
Curating the PQ'15 exhibition
To facilitate this exhibition, I have commissioned students from theatre schools in the region – Concordia University and Cegep St-Hyacinthe, for example – to execute reproductions of the work of leading Québecois stage designers. The intent is to have approximately thirty 3D models as well as numerous 2D representations that would be studied and recreated. These reproductions are meant to be brought to a public place and then incinerated.
The public incineration will be a highly mediatized event, theatrically and viscerally demonstrating the ephemeral elements of the creative process. At the same time, the event will stimulate an awareness in the theater community that may lead stage designers to question themselves about the value of their work. This theatrical action encourages them to re-evaluate their artistic processes and the value of the contribution they make to the construction of Quebec's cultural heritage. Collaterally, the incineration project could shock the general public about the limited available means to access the work of cultural producers and researchers.
This event, which is now being produced under the title “Autodafé - Traces - Burning”, will be filmed and photographed as a lasting visual witness. Reactions from audience members will also be recorded before, during, and after the incineration event. The film will be presented as part of the PQ Quebec Pavilion exhibition.
As I write writing this, the incineration is in process. Visitors in PQ'15 will be able to see the remains (ashes of burned traces), videos and photos of the event.
The Jean-Paul Mousseau Foundation was founded in Montreal in 1996 to allow the Association des professionnels des arts de la scène du Québec (APASQ) to act as a resource for disseminating the work of stage designers. The Corporation is a private, non-profit organization committed to the defense, promotion, and support for scenographic creations. Its objectives are to support and promote the specificity of disciplines and the advancement of research. The dissemination of stage design in Quebec and abroad is a significant part of its mandate. The foundation also facilitates the organization of exhibitions, symposiums, conferences and round tables and the publication and editing of work related to creations of this nature. The Foundation is able to receive donations, bequests and other similar contributions in money, movable or real estate. Raymond Marius Boucher has been the president of the Foundation since 2014.