How are you experiencing the lockdown?
On the evening of the lockdown announcement, I was in "Walking Dead" mode. Suitcases packed, car ready with a full tank, water, food, triple-ply toilet paper, and a sharp machete, ready to ensure my family's survival. I wanted to escape the Parisian region where we currently live and head to the countryside. But where to go? And for how long? And most importantly, my wife, requisitioned for her work, couldn't leave with us... So we confined ourselves to our apartment in Ville-d'Avray, a pleasant suburb located between Versailles and the capital. Our apartment is on the sixth floor of a ten-story tower. About ten identical buildings, modern keeps, make up the very chic "Cèdres residence", surrounded by trees and greenery, on the edge of the Fausses-reposes forest and the Corot ponds. Ultimately, the setting isn't so bad. I emptied the car, put away the machete, but my suitcase is still ready.
The nonchalant behavior of people at the beginning of the lockdown scared me, so we limited our outings to the residence. My son can let off steam a bit there, ride his bike or play football, and we can still feel the effects of this unique spring on the nature around us.
The virus is very present in the building; we know that neighbors have been infected, fortunately without serious consequences. We go out with gloves and masks and wash our hands thoroughly when we return. The residence employs people for waste management, cleaning of the premises, elevators, and stairs, and we are lucky to be able to count on their efficiency and good humor. Every day, everything is clean and disinfected, with a smile. I salute here these people who also work for our safety and morale.
What is your state of mind?
At first, I was torn between reality and fiction. Was this epidemic real? Was it a big joke? Was this the beginning of the end, a virus? And then, with the measures put in place and the evolution of the situation, reality caught up with fiction. We had to get used to the idea of simply fighting this virus by staying at home. We have a small house in Corrèze, both a holiday home and an artist's studio, unfortunately not yet habitable for the moment, well, for my wife and son. No kitchen, no bathroom, no hot water, no internet.
I was supposed to spend a week there during the school holidays to continue the renovation work and enjoy a week of solitude and wild living, essential for creative inspiration, a bubble outside of time and daily space. This lockdown thwarted my plans for rural solitude, and I was angry. I had to resign myself. Today, with the announced easing of lockdown, impatience is taking over. I can't wait to get back to this house and its garden, the smell of flowers and freshly cut grass.
I need to mow.
Has this lockdown experience impacted your artistic approach?
This lockdown hasn't changed much in my artistic approach. I regularly confine myself, both physically and mentally, to produce. I just had to adapt the organization of my projects to the confined family life. In Ville-d'Avray, in the apartment, I don't have a studio or a dedicated space where I can spread out and leave everything messy during the creation process. I work in the living room, and this room is also used by my son and my wife every day. I had planned to start my third robotic sculpture, but this activity generates noise and dirt over a very long period. It's difficult to live properly amidst aluminum bars, rolls of electrical cables, and other molten plastics. So, I focused on a quiet and clean activity, drawing, and reduced my workspace to the living room table.
Are you practicing during the lockdown? If so, can you tell us about your new works?
With this time available, I was finally able to finish a series started in Saint-Barthélemy. A series of 6 canvases, 100x100 cm, acrylic and India ink, 6 capital city plans "rewritten" in my language – red squares on a white background, highlighting communication networks and ground layout to bring out the "cellular" structure of each of these cities.
I am now working on a series of 20 India ink drawings, faithful to my "Practical Works" series, one of which was created in and about Saint-Barthélemy.
This time, it's about a period before my 5 years in St-Barth, when I lived in Tours, in a shared apartment with my brother in an incredible house, conducive to parties and creation. A surreal and crazy moment in my life where we had a good laugh every day.
So, while waiting to mow, I decided to have a little fun every day by creating these drawings.
