Suite 560

frédérique de Montblancwww.frederiquedemontblanc.com

A VIDEO INSTALLATION BYSuite 560

Born and raised in Brussels, Frédérique de Montblanc received a BFA in Theatre at Concordia University in Montreal in 2004. She then completed her MFA in De-sign & Production from the California Institute for the Arts (CalArts) in Los Angeles in 2007.

Both scenographer and visual artist, her work has been exhibited in Los Angeles (Outpost Gallery for Contem-porary Art, Highways Performance Space, BetaLevel Gal-lery, CalArts), Houston (Lawndale Art Center, Artstorm Gallery, Slab in Temporary Space, Nance Street Studios) and Brussels (Nadine, Vasthouse, BAF, Art Asylum).

Her set design work includes Firebird and Titus Andro-nicus with the Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre Company based in Houston, TX. More recently, she designed I Would Prefer Not To by Selma Alaoui (Theatre les Tan-neurs, Brussels) for which she was nominated for best scenography at the Belgian ‘Prix de la Critique 201’. She also created sets and costumes for Les Buveuses de Cafe by Compagnie Mossoux-Bonte (Theatre Romain Rolland, Paris | Internationales Figurentheater, Erlangen | Theatre des Brigittines, Brussels).

She currently lives and works in Brussels.

BIOGRAPHY

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONBetween desire and frustration, vulnerability and sublima-tion, Suite 560 is an interactive multiverse. Viewers are invited to travel through and in between layers of reality. Space is deconstructed, image is fragmented, sound devel-ops through counterpoints and breaks.

/ Visual research /

In a hotel suite, a couple seems to be on the verge of in-dulging in a playful evening of intercourse. The viewer is trapped in a form of time warp right before sensuality.Using cinematographic tools and collage effects, this video piece reveals different aspects of our two characters’ con-sciousnesses. As if immersed in the anxiety of this awaited first touch, the viewer gets a glimpse of their fantasies, projections and fears.The tall woman grows a beard, the small man’s seat trans-forms into a much larger man. The tall woman’s legs become hairy and masculine then suddenly she becomes a microscopic dancer while the small man draws a fake moustache on his face….

THE PREMISE

A VIDEO INSTALLATIONSuite 560

Space and Image are deconstructed into series of layers that are spatially isolated.The scenographical device needed involves two semi-trans-parent projection screens and a back wall.Each projection surface receives different sections of the final image. The final effect is a collage one where both edit-ing mechanisms are deconstructed and exposed while si-multaneously blurring duration and focus for the viewer.

The soundtrack of Suite 560 is an original music score composed by Belgian electroacoustic artist Loup Mor-mont. It involves four monologues by Frederique de Montblanc extracted from her play ‘ TX Mess Pas-saquaille’.

SOUND

SPACE

/ Installation at BAF, Brussels, Belgium, March 2012 /

/ Video stills /

/ Installation details /

www.frederiquedemontblanc.comwww.vimeo.com/user6931259

[email protected]+ 32 (0) 470 35 43 34

Photos: © Noemie NicolasMise en page: Amélie Landry