Kevin Lebouvier

Scenography and Artistic Design

 

When I was invited to participate in the exhibition pro-ject, I was immediately captivated by the subject and by this sensitive association between art and science. Quantum physics has always seemed to me to be a field that is both profoundly abstract and difficult to verbal-ize. In my mind, I associate it with the metaphysical dimension of art, with this desire to question percep-tion and hidden reality, encouraging reflection on the immaterial or invisible dimensions of the world. I do not seek to know if this connection is legitimate, but that is how I perceive it. Because beyond the difficulty of defining it with words, quantum physics fuels a fas-cinating collective visual imagination that intrigues and inspires me.

My role in the project was to design the scenogra-phies of the exhibitions and to develop a set of artistic installations. In collaboration with the artist Caroline Delétoille, I brought a complementary artistic perspec-tive to the finalization of some of her pieces, as well as to the spatial arrangement of all the works.

After having the opportunity to visit a laboratory at the Collège de France, my intention for the scenographies was to define a subtle balance between the field of quan-tum physics and the presented artistic works. I notably introduced a formal vocabulary adapted to a contem-porary art exhibition, while avoiding a too literal evo-cation of the quantum physics laboratory. This balance was notably translated through the use of the survival blanket as an artistic and scenographic medium.

In this same perspective, for the design of the three installations, I sought to develop a design illustrating the sensitive and imaginary aesthetics that can be found in the workspace of a quantum physics researcher and that of a visual artist. Through a play of material and structure assemblies, the objective was to create mod-ular sets, highlighting the idea that research, whether artistic or quantum, is a constantly evolving process.

My participation in this project allowed me to continue exploring the boundaries between scenic space and plastic installation. I was able to explore my own vision of quantum physics, as well as its aesthetic and plastic qualities, by transposing them to my own interests, art and scenography.