The Emergence & Convergence exhibition presented by PHI in Montreal brings together works that contemplate the space between the self, digital technology, the built environment, and the natural world. George Fok, Daniel Corbeil and Katherine Melançon, from Montreal, and Sabrina Ratté, from Paris, are a few of the artists that participated in this exhibition. In these interviews, they explain the scope of their works, the subtle links they made between technology and ecology, and their vision of the future as seen through this lens.
Katherine Melançon
Quebec visual artist Katherine Melançon formed her corpus of works by digitally manipulating pieces of organic material. In this interview, she talks about the direction her art is taking: starting from still life paintings, which were her early influences, and slowly drifting towards more computerized supports. She also offers her point of view on the many forms in which nature and technology could leverage each other in the coming years.
George Fok
With his 30-minute video installation Seeking Stillness, Montreal-based artist George Fok invites the public into an immersive cathedral of zen, through sounds and ever-evolving colours. Looking back on his influences, like the Rothko Chapel, he explains why his work often revolves around the effects of hyperconnectivity and the paradox of using modern technology to establish a safe therapeutic space.
Daniel Corbeil
With his vertical ecological city, Quebec sculptor and engineer Daniel Corbeil materialized his dream of an entirely sustainable and ever-growing infrastructure. He explains his work in this interview, which is at the crossroads of art and engineering, influenced by science fiction and permaculture. He also gives us his vision of modern cities, celebrating the union of nature and technology.
Sabrina Ratté
As shown in her diptych Alpenglow and Aurora as well as her 3D video animation Domestic Landscape, Quebec visual artist Sabrina Ratté likes to blur the lines between human geometrical creation and untamed natural landscapes. She explains her interest in ambiguity and the impression she wants to convey by constantly staying in the domain of the in-between.
