Studio

Vincent Morisset is driven by the idea of building bridges between the virtual and the real. This residency at PHI was an opportunity for the creator to push this premise even further in physicality and sensoriality with object manipulation. After months of research and experimentation, this object finally took the form of wooden cubes. These cubes are the essence of the work, it is through them that the public comes into contact with it and it is by manipulating them that they are immersed. "Gathering around a table to create, destroy and rebuild with the wooden cubes is reminiscent of a kind of ritual. It takes us back to childhood. There is something very satisfying and magical in this tangible interaction. The way the cubes are arranged on the table transforms the visual tableaus we see and the musical structure. The cubes are characters, landscapes... they are whatever we want them to be."

Founder of AATOAA, Vincent Morisset created Composition with his long-time collaborators Caroline Robert and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit. The Montreal studio trio was joined by Louis-Nicolas Imbeau, alias Vlooper, of Alaclair Ensemble, to develop a new vocabulary that permeates the work. "We soon invited Vlooper to join us in experimenting with sound, and this forged what would become Composition. For me, it's important that this horizontal collaboration takes place early on so that each person can enrich the practice of the others.”

Caroline Robert has shaped the entire aesthetic of the work through a variety of techniques, combining digital and artisanal. Drawings from the imagination of children inspired her to design the faces engraved on the cubes. The play of light and shadows, giving effects of relief and trompe l'oeil to the tableaus that come alive on the table, were drawn by hand. Using ink on paper, she created a universe that conjures up a cellular and galactic world.

Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit developed a complex program that bridges the gap between manipulating the cubes and the dynamic creation of visuals and music. Composition works in a web browser combined with a computer vision system and a virtual instrument platform. These systems had to consider many parameters and faced several challenges (the accuracy of detection, the complexity of interactions between several participants simultaneously, a multitude of interactive mechanics). Moreover, it was important that this technology almost disappeared to give way to "an enigmatic experience and game of prestidigitation."

Louis-Nicolas Imbeau created the twenty-minute soundtrack, which is both varied and coherent. "I wanted to work with Louis-Nicolas in particular because I wanted to approach this project with someone who has a thorough knowledge of rhythm and sound. He's a beatmaker, he has a deep understanding of the structure and construction of a universe of sound. He had to think about the cause and effect of actions on the music. It was his first venture into this world of interactive music scoring and it was a fascinating laboratory for him and for us, because we delved into a very wide range of sound, including hip-hop culture, experimental music and cinematic soundtracks. We wanted to imagine an experience where we could transform the music through touch."

In this ballet dance of visual and sound research and technology, the contribution of Greg Sadetsky, whose explorations in the fields of robotics and the intelligent object fuelled various iterations of the project that led to its current form, must be mentioned.

When you've worked on a piece for a long time and have re-imagined it hundreds of times, right down to the very last detail, what are you hoping for when you finally get to present it to the public? "The beauty of a project like Composition is that the work is an ecosystem that takes shape when it is in contact with the public. It reveals itself according to the different personalities. It's very special to participate in such an encounter."

The public was be able to experience Composition at the PHI Centre from March 31 to September 5, 2021, as part of the Three movements exhibition, alongside the works Breathe, by Brazilian artist Diego Galafassi — also developed during a residency supported by PHI — and Asteria, featuring Alexandra Stréliski, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Vincent Vallières, Daniel Bélanger and FouKi.

In keeping with its mission to create and foster encounters between artists and audiences, PHI has designed a self-supporting structure for Composition: in the universal language of music and ritual, the work can go on to amaze audiences outside of Montreal.