PRODROME II

The interaction between living organisms and their physical environment has been the core of Eléonore Griveau current artistic research and leads to the making of active objects undergoing an evolution conducting to self destruction. With accumulation of rough geometric forms, mixed with ceramics and electronics, the ecological interactive and still installations reflect the figure of human activities as the dominant influence on contemporary ecosystems. Visions of the future are never real predictions, they are support for the projection of the fear and anxieties of the present day.

PRODROME II is primarily related to the Lascaux cave, famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The Lascaux cave became a popular tourist site after World War II but had to be sealed off to the public in 1963 because the breath and sweat of visitors created carbon dioxide and humidity which caused, among other things, the growth of algae damaging the paintings. This phenomenon is strongly connected to Eléonore’s work where she attempts to narrate the catastrophe and use the visitor’s presence as a trigger to depict the transformation.

Prodrome II, is an installation consisting of porcelain plates and 16 motors connected to CO2 and ultrasonic sensors. The installation records the movements and breathing of visitors, which in turn triggers a sharp vibration in the engines. As each exhaled from each visitor, the work will gradually fall apart, suggesting an upcoming collapse. The layered ceramic plates refer to the layers of sedimentary rocks, and the repetitive vibration becomes like small earthquakes in the installation.The exhibition title Prodrome refers to an early symptom or sign of a disease that has not yet erupted. Are we as a species headed towards extinction? As economic systems and powerful global players deplete resources at alarming rates along with racially charged reactions to immigration which strain the social fabric of many countries, how are we able to retain our humanity whilst facing these life-and-death struggles? These interrogations refer to a post-humanism era in which our way of apprehending our body is changing with new technologies and is closely intertwined with the difficulty related to the notion of collapsology and solastalgia.

Eleonore Griveau (b.1994, France) holds a BFA from the Art Academy of Tours, France, and a Master of Fine Art from the Art Academy of Bergen (Norway) where she lives and works. She is co-founder and Director at Cone 7-Ceramic Workshop and runs the Cone 7 Residency Program.