Flyer for Flight: GNO unveils latest exhibit

How does one describe the sensation of unaided flight? Of flight without the aid of a plane, hot air balloon, or any other vehicle of the skyway.

Is it possible to do as the birds and bats do or shall the sensation of flight forever be an imaginary construct? Artist Maryse Arseneault’s exhibition project L’art de s’envoler / Flyer for Flight has evolved around this very question.

The interactive exhibition will be shown at Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario (GNO) until July 4.

The viewer enters a space that exists halfway between a gym and a laboratory for the senses where the use of a trampoline controls the direction and speed of a peculiar work out videocassette. Jump, rewind. Jump, play. Jump, fast forward. Projections on the wall show the images that inspired the artist’s meditative workout sessions.

According to the artist, the project can be traced back to childhood dreams where she herself learned to fly.

“I engage with ancient philosophies such as animism and martial arts in order to form a guide to flight techniques,” said Arseneault, in a press release.

“I compare photographs of divers, amateur snowboarders, and surfers with [images of] birds and sea creatures.” Among her sources of inspiration, she also mentions the television series Astro Boy, The Little Vampire, and Quantum Leap, as well as the reading of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

Based out of Moncton and Montreal, Arseneault combines intervention with print, drawing, and video, finding ways to activate space and spark critical dialogue. Since completing her BFA in 2006 (Université de Moncton), she shares a studio in the Centre culturel Aberdeen (Moncton, NB), where she volunteers with Galerie Sans Nom and Imago printshop.

Twice recipient of ArtsNB creation grants (2007/2011), Arseneault's solo shows include Une coupe de cheveux pour la fin du monde (Galerie Sans Nom, 2012) and Sanguine, terres brulées et autres angoisses (Galerie d'art Louise et Ruben Cohen, 2011, Festival inter-celtique de Lorient 2012, Connexion Gallery and Eastern Edge, 2013). She is completing a MFA in Studio Arts at Concordia University.