ART CITIES:Grenoble-I Walk Therefore We Are
The project “I Walk therefore We Are” spells out the social-protest aspect of walking and examines the material, historical, and forward-looking significance of demonstration, procession, and parade. While demonstration borrows its form from religious, corporate, and festive processions, its rise accompanied urban development and the invention of the street, and it is now being renewed and reconfigured by social networks.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: MAGASIN des horizons Archive
Whether on the Internet or in the street, the expression of social protest is shaped by a number of visible, creative elements: banners, placards, songs, and slogans… Humor and mockery go hand in hand with these sorts of small and big gathering. Everything goes when it comes to making oneself heard and, above all, seen! Against this background, archival images from Public and Private Collections (notably including photographs by Grenoble activists) will illustrate the extraordinary creativity and proactiveness of Grenoble residents. From 1906, the date of a strike of (exclusively female) workers of the silk factory in Voiron, to the March of the Handicapés Méchants in 1979, to the feminist protests last fall, the history of the city is paved with memories of mass gatherings. The glue that holds the community together, social demonstrations have definitely been an antidote to individualism and an act of resistance against the spirit of the times: acceleration. It is useful to think of walking as a counter-cultural movement in reaction to the postindustrial and postmodern disintegration of space, time, and of the body. It isn’t a coincidence that minorities, and specifically artists, have taken up walking as an artistic medium. This is why the works of contemporary artists (Clarisse Hahn, Katia Kameli, Francis Alÿs, Guillaume Barborini) complement and enrich the historical testimonies by Sister Corita Kent, Trisha Brown, Yoko Ono, and Endre Tót. Lastly, since walking cannot be understood unless it is put into action, 15 artists propose a full spectrum of walks between April and October 2018. From a Queer Hike in the mountains, to a scavenger hunt for pieces of meteorite fallen in the Grenoble area in 2016, there will be a variety of opportunities to follow in the artists’ ephemeral footsteps. Pamina de Coulon has brandished the banner to roll out her poetico-political slogans. To give expression to her idealism and her belief in utopian thought as a transformative social force, this young artist is producing quantities of banners that serve as décor to her spoken performances. Her poetic slogans splashed across immense pieces of colored fabric will be shown for the first time to visitors, sparking some flashes of poetic joy.
Participating artists: Francis Alÿs, Guillaume Barborini, Trisha Brown, Pamina de Coulon, Pauline Delwaulle & Sébastien Cabour, Fabian Foort, Marco Godinho, Clarisse Hahn, Ici-Même Grenoble, Katia Kameli, Corita Kent, Anthony Merlaud & Thibaut Lecront, Anne-Marie Louvet, Bastien Mignot, Bruno Moyen, Jean-Christophe Norman, Yoko Ono, Patricio Pardo Avalos, Johanna Rocard, Matthieu Saladin, Michel Szempruch, Beatriz Toledo & Carolina E. Santo, Endre Tót, Anne-Sophie Turion & Pia de Compiègne.
Info: MAGASIN des horizons – Centre national d’arts et de cultures , 8 esplanade Andry Farcy, Grenoble, Duration: 26/4-14/10/18, Days & Hours: Wed-Sun 14:00-18:00, www.magasin-cnac.org
