SOMMERER & MIGNONNEAU RENCONTRENT CAMILLE FOURNET
Internationally renowned artists and researchers, they are pioneers of interactive art. In their works, they integrate the concept of interaction with artificial intelligence. They grant participants a certain autonomy—sometimes intuitive – to engage with their creations. Botany, anthropology, and video form the foundation of their studies and their work.
équinoxes
« By combining virtual worlds, interaction, and artificial nature, we aim to raise awareness of the complex connections between humans and their natural environment. »
What made you want to participate in the équinoxes project?
When we received the invitation to create a new project for the Camille Fournet boutique as part of Équinoxes, we wanted to create an interactive artwork that addresses environmental issues and our relationship with insects. In the past, we have often worked with flies as motifs, and this time, we decided to work with bees. Bees are insects that have a significant impact on our environment and well-being. At Camille Fournet, beeswax is essential at various stages of product production. We also enjoy working with companies that give artists the freedom to realize their creative vision, and Françoise Déchery gave us carte blanche to create a new interactive piece.
What sources of inspiration guided your work?
Our main inspiration comes from nature, the observation of plants and insects, and their complex relationships. We often model natural processes on the computer, such as growth, behavior, complex systems, and human interaction. Through the many interactive works we have created over the past 30 years, we have developed a vast repertoire of interactive processes that we can use to create new artworks. This new piece led to a new process of innovation.
How should your artwork be understood?
Our artworks often rely on the interaction of the visitor and our relationship with nature. In the interactive installation Apis Humane, visitors can approach a large LCD screen and see themselves framed in a style reminiscent of Douanier Rousseau, depicting various images of plants taken from our own garden. As they enter the screen space, they see bees starting to emerge from their own face. The bees fly frantically, reacting to the movements of the visitors. The bees and humans begin to interact with one another in an improvised dance that constantly changes within this virtual garden environment. By combining virtual worlds, interaction, and artificial nature, we aim to raise awareness of the complex connections between humans and their natural environment.
Apis humane, Sommerer & Mignonneau, 2022
Photo credit: Anaïs Nieto
Details of the artwork
Photo credit: Anaïs Nieto
Details of the artwork
Photo credit: Sommerer & Mignonneau
Details of the artwork
Photo credit: Sommerer & Mignonneau
Details of the artwork
Photo credit : Anaïs Nieto
CAMILLE FOURNET AIME JOUER AVEC LES MATIÈRES ET LES COULEURS. NOUS AIMONS LES CRÉATEURS, LEUR INVENTIVITÉ, LEURS PROUESSES ET LE MERVEILLEUX QU’ILS SUSCITENT.