“body circuit (parcours corporel)” by Emmanuelle Forgues, Sam Bourgault

Title:

body circuit (parcours corporel)

Artist(s) and People Involved:

Artist Statement:

Focus Québec Exhibition. Forum des Images, May 16 – 21

body circuit / parcours corporel emerges from a collaboration between Emma Forgues and Sam Bourgault. Their expertise ranges from media art to physics and results in a diversified artistic
approach through performance and installation projects. Their common interests involve body and robotics in both real and virtual worlds.

parcours corporel / body circuit is a kinetic installation that explores human-robot interactions through sensory encounters. In a haptic network, soft machines housed in organically shaped ceramic vessels pinch, inflate and caress disarticulated human limbs, molded from the artists’ bodies. Pneumatic tubes and electroluminescent wires establish connections between the zones of interaction. This work creates a unique space where soft and delicate entities intertwine with rigid and complex bodies, offering both tenderness and support. It presents an
alternative world where technology and relationships with the human body revolve around the concept of care.

In this iteration of the piece, the installation contains five 3D printed ceramic vessels that exhibit organic features vaguely reminiscent of the human body with their bumps, cracks, and curves. Inflatable robotic objects made of silicone and semi-transparent TPU that resemble human organs inhabit these ceramic pieces where they inflate and deflate with a slow pulse. These inflatable objects are powered by three small air pump systems fixed to the floor and the mirror. LEDs are installed inside the ceramics, delicately illuminating the structure from within. Finally, two body parts made of silicone, a buttock and a torso, are placed inside this sensory network.

parcours corporel / body circuit is material-driven and embraces manual and digital fabrication workflows.