STEREOPTIK, Exhibition

Creation : Romain Bermond et Jean-Baptiste Maillet
Construction : Eric Caillou

The installations and works presented in the STEREOPTIK exhibition give us a window into the universe of Romain Bermond and Jean-Baptiste Maillet. The exhibit is based on the performances of this duo since 2009, and invites the viewer to explore how each of these performances was created, from initial idea to final form. The raw material presented sheds light on the many research phases which lead this creative pair to their musical and graphic discoveries.

The amazement we feel when watching a STEREOPTIK show often derives from the contrast between what we see on stage and the film that results on the screen. On stage, the artists’ precise, detailed gestures shape and organize seemingly rudimentary elements (paper, cardboard, pencils, charcoals, water, glass, light…), with the surprising result being a captivating, moving picture with sophisticated effects.

All of the sounds and images in STEREOPTIK shows are produced before our very eyes, but the numerous drawings, objects, puppets, devices, and mechanisms involved are the result of preliminary experiments – a necessary process for the creation of every show. The artists experiment with different combinations of materials and variations in artistic and artisanal techniques, with the aim of inventing media that will allow their tales to take shape. This practice leaves an ever-multiplying material trace, of which the final performance is but the tip of the iceberg. This exhibit will give us a glimpse into this creative world.

The material presented spans the first trials, sketches, drawings, set blueprints, all the way to the final material integrated into the performance, with ideas left behind along the way. The exhibit, which is in parts interactive, allows viewers to step into the genesis of four of the company’s shows. In addition to the different steps that bring a project to completion, this exhibit reveals the sometimes surprising number and size of unfurling drawings, animation, paintings, and installations which make up the final show.

Like the backstage corridors, this exhibit space is the underbelly of a performance space, where audiences circulate and mix. This is a chance for those who do not yet know STEREOPTIK’s work to discover their universe, and an unexpected second chapter for those who have seen their shows. This exhibit is site-specific, and thus changes whenever it moves, and it provides a link between art spaces of different kinds and breaks down the walls between the performing and visual arts.