We live in a world of time and space. But just like fish do not notice the water surrounding them, human beings rarely pay attention to the lapse of time and space. Through his video installations, French artists Robert Cahen seeks to explore the notion of “passage”, including the passage of time and space.
The exhibition Traverse: Video Installations by Robert Cahen, co-organized by the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Macau Museum of Art (MAM), Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, takes place between June 27 and September 20 in MAM.
The exhibition is part of this year’s Le French May festivities, and includes 17 sets of video installations created from 1978 up until this year. Among them are two brand new pieces that Cahen created with Macau elements.
During the inauguration press conference, Cahen noted that the exhibition is big in terms of the number of installations that are displayed in it, including some of the very first works of the artist. Visitors can recognize various themes in his works, including journeys, encountering, life, death and passage.
“My work is characterized by the continuous research on the notion of ‘passage’ – the passage from fixed image to animation, moving from one place to another and from one time to another”, he says, adding that in order to really see his works, spectators must be willing spend time doing so.
In the namesake video installation of the exhibition Traverse, a projected image shows different individuals appearing one by one after another or in groups, navigating through a thick fog that makes it difficult for the viewers to make them out. The fact that none of them are able to totally escape from the fog and are eventually “eaten” and “swallowed up” is an illustration of the crossing of space where time is put to the test.
Another two installations 5 Views and Apparition, are installations that were created with Macau elements. 5 Views is five videos shot in Macau and shown through long pipes. Looking through the pipes to watch the videos gives vieiwers the sense of discovering secrets of well-known places or objects in Macau and examining them from a different angle.
The installation Apparition involves a setting with furniture, a video camera and a screen. When visitors walk onto the set, the camera will capture their image and play it on the screen in a slow motion. The contrast between dynamic silhouette of the spectators and the static image of the furniture inspires people to contemplate the relationship between individuals, space and time.
Robert Cahen was born in Valence, France in 1945. Graduating from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, Cahen is considered a pioneer both in the field of electronic music and international video art. The artist started video creation in the 1970s, and is famous for using ordinary images, slow motion and exploring the interaction of sound and graphics. His works present viewers with another take on reality.
“Every piece of my art uses slow motion. Each one tries to extend a brand new space among things that are invisible to each other. My works are like an open-ended talk, where viewers will find projections of themselves in the slow motions, eventually being able to tell their own stories,” he says.
