Announcement of theme 27 – Infinitely Large and Small
Updated: Sep 9, 2021
Ton dos parfait comme un désert quand la tempête a passé sur nos corps.
Un grain de beauté où je m’en vais boire.
[Your perfect back, like a desert when the storm has passed over our bodies.
A beauty spot where I go drink.]
– Richard Desjardins
A grain of sand in the universe. The stars in your eyes. You’re in the clouds. I love you as big as the world. Metaphors connecting the microcosm with the macrocosm are legion. With the advent of modernity, technological development has enabled scientists to connect the infinitely small with the infinitely huge. Think of the structure of the atom and that of our galaxy. So it’s hard to avoid all-too-human existential questions. What place do human beings have in the precarious balance of the universe? What meaning does our short life have in the infinity of things?
View of the exhibition Away From All Suns, Carl Trahan, Musée d’art de Joliette, 2021. Photo : Romain Guilbault.
The August theme at Quarantined Museum was inspired by the work of Carl Trahan, whose solo exhibition Away From All Suns is currently on view at the Musée until September 6. Trahan’s practice is inspired by, among other things, the texts of writers and philosophers who have broached both the depths of the human psyche and the dark history of Fascism. In particular, among the works integrated into the gallery devoted to the Musée’s permanent collection of sacred art are two closely-positioned objects: a meteorite, and a glass mould of the interstice between two joined hands. How may we comprehend—in the sense of embracing, grasping in its entirety, apprehending—the infinite from which we emerge? Its very contemplation is a tremendous effort.
👉As part of this call for submissions, we invite you to consider the infinitely large and the infinitely small, as well as that place we occupy between the two. What is the biggest work of art you’ve seen with your own eyes? The smallest? Do you often look at the stars? What do you see? Did you ever observe an organic material under a microscope? An ant farm in an aquarium? What happens when you change scale? Do you have a bonsai at home? Do you love miniatures? Are you afraid of heights? Is life long? Why not explore these ideas with sand, expandable foam, graphite, macro photography, or star dust?
View of the exhibition Away From All Suns, Carl Trahan, Musée d’art de Joliette, 2021. Photo : Romain Guilbault.
Stay tuned to discover the content proposed on the blog throug the month of July. ➔ As always, the education department has got a “Family Special” activity in the works for you! ➔ And several other surprises are coming up on the blog, including a new episode of the Spécialiste en la matière podcast series! Happy creativity!
This article was written by Charlotte Lalou Rousseau, Assistant curator of contemporary art, Musée d’art de Joliette TO PARTICIPATE IN QUARANTINED MUSEUM
You have until August 31 to send us your artistic creations inspired by the theme of the month. The exhibition will be online September 9, 2021.
Click here to learn how to participate.