Paul Lacerte

JE T’
11.18–12.19.1999

The last time we were able to see Paul Lacerte’s work in Montreal was at the group exhibition *Les bricolos* (1998) at the Clark Center for Art and Outreach. It is very much in this spirit that the artist continues to present his work. In fact, Lacerte is above all fascinated by machines, their kinetic potential, and the mechanics that drive them. He readily plays with the idea of subverting their original function. Why couldn’t a vacuum cleaner push dust around instead of sucking it up?

Imagine a miniature amusement park where everything moves at once without visitors lingering on any particular ride. It is this type of staging that will occupy the space in the form of an “installure,” to borrow the artist’s term. All these inventions, devoid of any utilitarian function, are interconnected through a chain reaction principle, establishing a relationship of interdependence among the elements. Motion sensors or other devices trigger a sequence, producing an event that leads to another, and so on. The artist plans to be on site for the entire duration of the exhibition, both to enliven the space and to provide human assistance to the Machine, which, as we know, still requires it—as much through new technologies as in this more technically artisanal work.

We are thus invited to a playful and kinesthetic event designed to offer a poetic experience through movement, imagery, and sound.

Sonia Pelletier