Poetics of a Corespiration

Solo Exhibition, Maison de la culture de Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, Montreal, Canada, November 10th – December 18th 2023, Curation: Joséphine Rivard

Poetics of Corespiration evokes the concept of a shared breath, wherein time becomes a subjective foundation. Julie Roch-Cuerrier’s works manifest in the exhibition space as the tangible expression of a personalized unit of measurement: the act of breathing. The objective is to encourage the harmonization of collective rhythms. Various materials, acting as active and expressive agents, merge to weave the entanglement of our breaths with the world.

Within the exhibition space, these ideas materialize through a series of blown-glass sculptures, gently unfolding in space with the support of bent-steel structures. The glass forms symbolize the essence of breath and its modulation, while the steel structures provide physicality to these ethereal breaths, suggesting the idea of entanglement.

In certain vases, flowers immerse in a bluish liquid from the beginning of the exhibition. Over time, pigments emerge on the petals, visually marking the passage of time. By juxtaposing the permanence of glass and steel with the transience of a flower, these materials confront their inherent differences, yet engage in a relational agency. Across successive planes, each material underscores a reciprocal relationship within experienced time, inviting the audience to observe their own temporal perception.

Various scenographic elements complement the artworks. Rectangles of light on the floor simulate natural light streaming from windows, while large-format macro-photographs inserted beneath frosted glass plates reveal microscopic phenomena occurring within the exhibition room. Overall, the corpus takes the form of an evolving installation exploring the agency of materials and a deconstructed, subjective temporality. By synchronizing individual rhythms, the goal is to amplify the collective potential of our perception of time and each breath taken in response to our environment.