Eau Terre Mer e (video documentation)

« Eau Terre Mer e » by / de Nicole Fournier performance at the RAIQ's 5th Anniversary Celebration

RAIQ Event
Hommage à Françoise Sullivan
Homage to Françoise Sullivan
December 15, 2010, 8pm Sala Rossa, 4848 St-Laurent Montreal, QC



La performance, je transporte et porte un plastique transparent usé, contenant un peu d'eau, et ma valise de terre. En dessous du plastique, je porte pantalon roulé et t-shirt, me rappelant mon enfance quand je prenais des marches sur les plages d'Antigua dans les Antilles, où mes grands-parents habitaient (le pays de mes grands-parents et leurs parents). Une valise qui contient la terre, un grand plastic conteneur d'eau, transformé en robe, transformé en sacs conteneur de corps et eau. Le sensuelle, la terre, l'eau, les contradictions et intersections du personnel, corps humain, naissances, changements, morts, et extases en relation avec les changements sur la planète. Je chante quelques parties / melodies des chansons de Lionel Richie de 1974, que je renomme « Not Easy » et de Bob Marley, que je renomme « Yes Woman, Yes Cry ». J'ai changé les mots et pour les miennes. Sac d'eau, contenant d'eau, habit d'eau, Terre habiller de valise, la mer e dans le plastique, le corps mer e..... Les gestes, de toucher la terre, bouger dans l'eau, seront improvisés avec ces moments de chanter, pauses et moments de mouvements et actions

Decescription written as random, not random, rant, stream of words, expression, abstract, not, play, flow, let go, not, yes

“Eau Terre Mer e”, just cant translate in english the same meaning as with the french words. It is because the sound of the word Mer (Ocean or sea) is the same as Mère (“Mer e”) (mother in english), so through the sound of the word, you get both meanings in the word of ocean-mother. So to translate the concept of the performance from the title “Eau Terre Mer e”, I refer to Water Earth Ocean-Mother, as connecting to being a mother, having a mother, and the acts or non acts of mothering-caring, or not caring, whether you are man or woman. And, well, here is my random rant of expression, when I looked at the video documentation of “Eau Terre Mer e”,

I just felt like writing what came to mind, not order it, correct, censor, arrange, fix, make into correct grammar, structure.... a steam of thoughts, that come from my experience of imagining, conceiving and performing this artwork-performance, visually, voice, touch, matter, heart, soul, fragments, imperfections, and other. It is the process of writing, here, what I have written, or just is maybe to be corrected, or just nice to just let loose. Some may call it bla bla, or non-sensical. Maybe you wont get anything out of it, well, there you go.....

Yep I like to sing and move to the sound of R&B soul pop icon Lionel Richie and reggae, ska, rocksteady icon Bob Marley, with my untrained, non-singer voice, I sing and perform, focused on the actions I intent to do, but also improvise within that intention. Flows, crack, squeaks, soul, fragment, people might say, ya it not singing, I did not say I was a singer, but I like to sing, a bit, sometimes, and get into the soul of the music, but then I get shy, inhibited, it is part of it too, and I change things, the lyric, to make them mine, and look at other ways of « seeing », being, that are not common or « mainstream », but it was once not mainstream, until it became popular, and then we say poo poo, cause it gets so popular it takes over and dominates, out of balance. But still the soul remains in the music, and Bob Marley’s meaning to address the social issues in Jamaica, the root of the music. Its just when sometimes it gets too popular, it gets superficial, and fluff and ya you want some, need some fluff at times. But I can’t help it, it gets too glossy and it hurts my eyes the red lipstick is like bubble gum, it is too sweet, overload. But then sometimes I want to eat it up and it can’t be red enough. But hey, maybe we all like a little overload sometimes, maybe, maybe not, maybe at one point it is simply too much. It is for the youth, overload, but you can be old at 20 too, or young at 65, maybe.... Cell phone seduction, being seduced by, you name it, depends where you are at. Seductively accepted, like how we are all so hooked on our cell phones, the new way to « always » feel connected. Like the plastic invasion, now a remnant, used, still around, being made to biodegrade, soon plastic will be a collector’s item, maybe we should be saving it. The big, dirty, used plastic contains a little bit of water, just enough, not enough. I carry it, it is enough, awkward. I look absurd. For most, performance art is absurd, weird, what the hell was that about, a disruption, an abstraction, an action that disturbs, disrupts, “dérange”. Yep that is what it wants to do, thwart how you see reality, a provoquer, but who is listening, who is looking, how does it affect and who, so marginal, even elitist. It makes people angry sometimes because they don’t understand. Or they might even get something out of it, hmmm I am simply ranting, rambling, intentionally, selfishly enjoying this freedom, to not make clear sentences and worry about grammar. Call it poetry, prose, or simply terrible writing, unclear, confusion, rant. ... to be continued or not.....

Live Dining 2005- 2015

Corn Field Performances 2002

Verticale - centre d'artistes présente :

Verticale - centre d'artistes présente :
Nicole Fournier et Doug Scholes, un projet de commissariat du collecif N.& M.

Table de Biodiversité : Verdir - Nourrir 2012

À Place Benoît - Les Ateliers Performance ACE (Art-Communautés-Environnement) 2011-2012

À Place Benoît - Les Ateliers Performance ACE (Art-Communautés-Environnement) 2011-2012
Projet EN PARTENARIAT AVEC Le Centre Communautaire Bon Courage (CCBC)

Nourriture et médecine vivantes 2010

Nourriture et médecine vivantes 2010
photo de Johanne Chagnon

2009 Interconnected Performers by Nicole Fournier, artwork-curatorial art project

2009 Interconnected Performers by Nicole Fournier, artwork-curatorial art project
2009 - challenging the idea of artist / curator at the same time, making literally fresh edible, off the wall of the gallery abstract art, in continuation of abstract art traditions, but addressing food and cooking issues, in the gallery, as food is free and everyone is invited to eat, including your dogs. Live action preparing food, compost, on the ground on your tablecloth, with decomposing food nearby validated, fungi, bacteria and airborn microbes are always with us - the invisible performers. (read more on blog)..... Interconnected Performers / Performers interconnectées, image of "The interconnections of people, dogs, fungi, food...performing" by Nicole Fournier, photo by Tagny Duff - feb 1st 2009, moment in performance from Nicole Fournier "painting with food, she made with public on the ground of the gallery, as a live action performance of edible abstract painting, for people and dogs to be eaten live off the wall of the gallery, made of purées of spinach, carrot, potato, onion, parsley, olive oil, garlic...repetition, repetition....

Couvert sur Place, Québec, 2009

Couvert sur Place, Québec, 2009
collective participatory performance presented by Engrenage Noir LEVIER. Le 14 mai à Québec, devant l’Assemblée nationale, organisé par Le Collectif pour un Québec sans pauvreté, Campagne Mission Collective" Bâtir un Québec sans pauvreté

Organic Container 1996-1999

Vision de Nicole Fournier mandat d'InTerreArt / art contemporain / Art Éco interdisciplinaire

InTerreArt a été fondé en février 2008, pour réaliser et disséminer la vision interdisciplinaire d’art de Nicole Fournier , rassemblant Art-Communautés-Environnement : Art se définit par pratiques d’art engagées « LifeArt » (inclusive des disciplines en Arts et Sciences & non-disciplines, connaissances traditionnelles, ancestrales écologiques pour la santé de tous); Communautés est la diversité de peuples et individus, leurs participation par leurs créativités et voix uniques. Environnement reflète notre contact direct avec la Nature, Sa Biodiversité (les trillions d’espèces micro à macro), nos interconnexions, les cycles de la vie, la créativité dans le 3RV (réemploi, recyclage, réduction à la source), santé et alimentation reconnecté directement à la la planète. Ainsi promouvoir la polyagriculture, l’agriculture urbaine, flore & faune urbain, verdissement des villes et ressources naturelles urbains. Parler urbain pour addresser la population lié aux enjeux locaux et globaux. Car si nous pouvons vivre plutôt à l’échelle local nous pourrons laisser le reste de la planète tranquille, et arrêter la destruction de la biodiversité de nos forêts planétaires. L’idée est que nos ressources naturelles proviennent de l’innovation d’agriculture écologique urbaine et périurbaine, en lien avec la croissance et l’intégration des écosystèmes de la flore et faune urbain et périurbain de nos villes.

VISION OF NICOLE FOURNIER / MANDATE OF INTERREART

CONTEMPORARY ART / INTERDISCIPLINARY, ECO ART

InTerreArt was founded in February 2008, to realize and disseminate Nicole Fournier’s interdisciplinary art vision of bringing together Art-Communities-Environnement, that is, engaged art practices, which include nondisciplines and disciplines in arts, sciences, traditional ecological knowledge, environmental health and social services, participation of community members, sustainable greening of cities, biodiversity, urban agriculture, urban wilderness, as Art, in addressing environmental issues on a local and global scale. International inspiration between 1950’s – 80’s include: Suzanne Lacy (engaged art practices), Joseph Beuys ("social sculpture"), Agnes Denes, Fluxus, Allan Kaprow, Linda Montano.