Satellite Voices

Paris

Michel Blazy's Ultimate Metaphor

August 2

The experiential wonder of the acclaimed Paris artist

• Text by Satellite Voices

Guest Feature by Ingrid Melano

For the cultural institution that is the College des Bernardins, the Monaco-born artist Michel Blazy provided an installation entitled “Bouquet Final” meaning the possible future of the planet, which, unless we take care of our environment and decrease consumption, is at the heart of his concerns and work.

Created on basic elements: water, soap and moving engines that create foam, "Bouquet Final" regenerates every day, because once turned off, the engines end their activity and the foam melts. But we wanted to see the moment with the absolute more mass and documenting its form, the squiggles, the shine.

In the spectacular setting of College des Bernardins, an ancient monastery hided in the heart of Paris' Latin Quarter, the first sensation that was simulated was the smell, the warmth of the moisture, in a place that normally we imagine as cold, austere, today uninhabited.

The ancient window on the right side allowed light to enter so candid and reflect on the foam flashes that illuminated the whole room. Spectators were fashinated, standing for hours in front of the installation and waiting for a movement of foam, a piece that falls softly on the ground.

Michel Blazy creates sculptures out of daily elements, with a blend of natural and artificial materials. Some of the everyday objects he used in his past works were mashed carrots, lentil seeds, food pieces, dry dog and cat food, and the list is far from exhaustive.

Curated by Alain Berland, the happening presented in Paris became metaphor for the fragile beauty, of passing time and the brevity of life, where the infinite beauty is in little things: the beauty of a glance, of a movement, of a glow.