Abrupt continuities
par Richard Petit
The Hills
At first glance "The Hills" do not seem to document anything in particular, and are not following the conventions of a photographic collection. It is rather a multimedia collection: besides photographs taken for this project, one also finds drawings executed over a number of years, rediscovered polaroid, photograms, travel souvenirs from Mexico and even a type written poem and an embroidery right at the beginning of the exhibition. The Hills, title of the exhibition, but where are those hills?
At first glance "The Hills" do not seem to document anything in particular, and are not following the conventions of a photographic collection. It is rather a multimedia collection: besides photographs taken for this project, one also finds drawings executed over a number of years, rediscovered polaroid, photograms, travel souvenirs from Mexico and even a type written poem and an embroidery right at the beginning of the exhibition. The Hills, title of the exhibition, but where are those hills?
The narration
"My narrative idea is not really precise I wish myself to be surprised" says Myriam "like if I was in the dark on a ghost train" "Surprising destructuration, reassembled pieces " writes Luc a philosopher friend. It is about looking for something in part wiped out, forgotten like a dream. "I like my drawings because I am under the impression that someone else drew them." As a child Myriam lived in the country side, at school she was bored and was constantly drawing.
"My narrative idea is not really precise I wish myself to be surprised" says Myriam "like if I was in the dark on a ghost train" "Surprising destructuration, reassembled pieces " writes Luc a philosopher friend. It is about looking for something in part wiped out, forgotten like a dream. "I like my drawings because I am under the impression that someone else drew them." As a child Myriam lived in the country side, at school she was bored and was constantly drawing.
Lament
"Lament" is a still frame taken from a 8 mm film, the small waterfall is frozen in time but still one seems to be able to hear an echo of its murmur. An image barely visible, on a scratchy coarse grain black and white film, over enlarged, it is set in a gold leaf gilded Diasec floater frame. Why is this no(n)-image presented in such a lavish manner?
"Lament" is a still frame taken from a 8 mm film, the small waterfall is frozen in time but still one seems to be able to hear an echo of its murmur. An image barely visible, on a scratchy coarse grain black and white film, over enlarged, it is set in a gold leaf gilded Diasec floater frame. Why is this no(n)-image presented in such a lavish manner?
The place
What is being honored? It's "The Place (where everything started) an imagined place" says Myriam where Juliette, who we believe to have seen on a polaroid photo posing with Wladimir, a big white dog, another frame taken from a movie film. To stop the moving film, like ashes suspended in the air before they fall slowly back to the ground, fragments of a story that is never completely elucidated.
The lamb
Images unearthed from improbable archives, a path back to the origin. In the same manner the lamb is "The Lamb" (God's?) it has been dead and eaten a long time ago. Nevertheless "It talks to me" says Myriam. It is Myriam's art work mascot, spirit, it successfully sneaked its way from one collection to another, adored, devoured.
The time
The relationship to temporality is both sophisticated and complex. First there is the time stopped by the cameraman, the choice of an image among 24 per second, a few square millimeters of film, how can one hope to unveil its mysteries? And then exploring childhood, "welcoming the unconsciousness with kindness" says Myriam to reconnect with the original emotions "maybe encounter giants" noted someone on the visitors' book. Myriam doesn't construct series in the manner of the Dusseldorf school, she doesn't even make clearly separated projects, it is more like a long journey, an immense "Continuum" the title of her next work which will again reintroduce elements of old previous works.
The ritual
Léone was the grandmother of a winemaker friend, the initial order of wine label became a full exhibition "This is my wine" A story ceaselessly reinvented, childhood as a place never revealed but suggested in the form of questions. The lamb lived in Bethany where resided the Holy Family, it is also a hamlet close by Myriam's home. Myriam who is also an art restorer is familiar with silent old churches.
Maze of quotes, time never ended, the polymorphic work of Myriam Assié is of great visual richness. The sacred and the past are always present, in this cyclical continuum ruptures or abrupt continuities follow one another ceaselessly.