Inventor Art

This sounds like an interesting event in the world of outsider art. It's an art show near Paris for artistes bricoleurs, called Exit 05. It opened on March 30, following up on its sister show (Festival Via) in Maubeuge, and continues through April 9. I learned about it from an article (Exit, rendez-vous annuel des artistes bricoleurs, March 29) by Catherine Bédarida for Le Monde (my translation, with links added):

Two exhibits offer a different look at everyday things. The first, Inventors!, involves a sensory walk through about fifteen installations. Japanese artists Seiko Mikami and Sota Ichikawa have constructed a large 3D stage, on which visitors can walk. Their movements are transformed into sounds, lights, and geometric images. Lines are drawn on a canvas, either harmonious curves or cosmic chaos. These dynamic landscapes form a moving, always graceful work. Moldavian artist Veaceslav Druta's The Swing [shown to the right] is a work of "musical tinkering." The visitor is placed in a large wooden swing, suspended between two high wheels. By swinging, he unleashes music that varies according to the position of his hands on the bars and his speed. [...]

The Austrian/Australian collective Time's Up has installed a labyrinth made of large plastic wheels. Visitors move through on a sort of ramp where sounds and light change as a result of their movements. Other artists offer more modest experiences. German-Korean artist Brad Hwang makes available to visitors his little "back-patting machines." They are little objects you put on your shoulder, which have a glove that pats your back; then you give them to another visitor to cheer them up. The Swedes Mikael Pauli and Dag Birkeland are playing with natural elements. They use the force of the sea and of waves to create superb shapes: water fountains in the middle of the sea, sonorous rocks, an entire maritime universe that invites us to dream about nature.

The second exhibit/event, Serial Killers, brings together three artists around the Bluebeard legend. The designer Patrick Jouin insists on hearing the narrative, recited by a recorded voice. The dramatic impact is underscored by the interplay of lights and abstract sounds. With his animated comic, projected on a large white ball, François Chalet favors a more playful vision of the legendary character of Bluebeard.

Other participants include American dance group Stephen Petronio Company, British dance groups Henri Oguike Dance Company and Wayne McGregor, Japanese dance group Refined Colors, and experimental theater troupe By Gorki. Their Web site is in French, but there are lots of photos.