Projet Diligence / Valentin Souquet ••••• Recuperating the rim of a wheel, an object frequently noticed in Monterrey’s industrial landscape, Valentin Souquet put together a polymorphous, polyvalent structure. In function of the context, this changing structure takes on the shape of a shelter, a bench, a sculptural object, an architectural standard… Its ambivalence makes it possible to integrate it to other installations and performances and was the scenographic link between all works of art.
Projet Diligence / Valentin Souquet ••••• Recuperating the rim of a wheel, an object frequently noticed in Monterrey’s industrial landscape, Valentin Souquet put together a polymorphous, polyvalent structure. In function of the context, this changing structure takes on the shape of a shelter, a bench, a sculptural object, an architectural standard… Its ambivalence makes it possible to integrate it to other installations and performances and was the scenographic link between all works of art.
Projet Diligence / Valentin Souquet ••••• Recuperating the rim of a wheel, an object frequently noticed in Monterrey’s industrial landscape, Valentin Souquet put together a polymorphous, polyvalent structure. In function of the context, this changing structure takes on the shape of a shelter, a bench, a sculptural object, an architectural standard… Its ambivalence makes it possible to integrate it to other installations and performances and was the scenographic link between all works of art.
OVAL ••••• Mobile Institute / Pacome Beru ••••• The Oval piece consists of a graphic approach in accordance with the scale of the landscape. Its very simple shape is based on the vectorial drawing but it suggests different meanings : A hole, a flying saucer, an eye… Its mat black colour gives it a massive presence which encourages the spectator’s imagination to pursue fictional wanderings.
The selected Icamole site lies between two hillsides and faces the road to the village beyond. The Oval is suspended in the heart of the nearby hills, a few hundred metres from the village. As such, it appears to be overhanging the village, thereby creating a certain tension with it. ••••• Construction Assistance : Nohemi Santos (Peti Ti Suiz) & Carlos Olvera
OVAL ••••• Mobile Institute / Pacome Beru ••••• The Oval piece consists of a graphic approach in accordance with the scale of the landscape. Its very simple shape is based on the vectorial drawing but it suggests different meanings : A hole, a flying saucer, an eye… Its mat black colour gives it a massive presence which encourages the spectator’s imagination to pursue fictional wanderings.
The selected Icamole site lies between two hillsides and faces the road to the village beyond. The Oval is suspended in the heart of the nearby hills, a few hundred metres from the village. As such, it appears to be overhanging the village, thereby creating a certain tension with it. ••••• Construction Assistance : Nohemi Santos (Peti Ti Suiz) & Carlos Olvera
WALL ••••• Projet Diligence / Barbara Fourneret ••••• Eye-catching stereotypes (magazine images of tropical landscapes) positioned in real surroundings, can be placed in urban spaces, in the heart of a landscape or in prohibited areas. Stuck on a façade, on a wooden mobile structure or on a breeze block wall, they will be worn over time. Left in this environment, these landscapes evolve, get damaged, crease, break, crack, become imperfect and can serve as a pretext for imagining other situations and different scenarios around them. ••••• Wall construction : Los Hermanos Garibaldi
SOUND PERFORMANCE ••••• Guest Artist / Charlie (Juan) Carlos Olvera ••••• Carlos Olvera acted as go-between for the production of works of art and for social encounters with the art scene in Monterrey. His sound performance in the desert amplified this role as it modified installations and on-location experiments by applying variable narrative modes. The sound performance is summed up in a 30 minute video.
SKYRIDER ••••• Mobile Institute / Tom Hillewaere ••••• Skyrider is a work of art mounted to fit the desert’s railway track. Made to merge into the site, this work of art retraces the story of an artist receding into the horizon, consistent with vanishing point aesthetics. The artist is seated on a chariot equipped with a chute. Movement is consequently dependent on the wind. ••••• Frame Construction : Dimitri ••••• Records and logistics : Izyeroaly Hernandez Vidaurri
SKYRIDER ••••• Mobile Institute / Tom Hillewaere ••••• Skyrider is a work of art mounted to fit the desert’s railway track. Made to merge into the site, this work of art retraces the story of an artist receding into the horizon, consistent with vanishing point aesthetics. The artist is seated on a chariot equipped with a chute. Movement is consequently dependent on the wind. ••••• Frame Construction : Dimitri ••••• Records and logistics : Izyeroaly Hernandez Vidaurri
I YO SOY UN NACHO ! ••••• Mobile Institute / Ismaël Bennani ••••• Performance
CUSTOM & PRACTICE / US & COUTUMES ••••• Projet Diligence / Emilie Pischedda ••••• Derived from European media news (dailies, magazines, Internet), this project plays up the day to day objects assisting the spread of drugs, specifically cocaine : how necessity calls for resourcefulness in the use of these objects, and how, in a similar way, these objects which are cut out for a specific purpose, can be used in different ways…
CUSTOM & PRACTICE / US & COUTUMES ••••• Projet Diligence / Emilie Pischedda ••••• Derived from European media news (dailies, magazines, Internet), this project plays up the day to day objects assisting the spread of drugs, specifically cocaine : how necessity calls for resourcefulness in the use of these objects, and how, in a similar way, these objects which are cut out for a specific purpose, can be used in different ways…
BASS CREAM CART ••••• Mobile Institute / Ismael Bennani ••••• The ambulant merchants’ Ice Carts (« carito de paletas ») are a common sight in urban Latin America. Another well spread image of latino culture is « low-rider ». This consists in transforming a vehicle (car, motorcycle, bicycle) by adding all sorts of gleaming accessories in order to show them off in the city. Equally commonplace in California, this is nevertheless rooted solidly in Mexican culture, to the extent that it has become an ethnic demonstration for the one performing it. The project was developed after meeting Oscar Vasquez, ‘Sabalo’, as he is called (a Sabalito is a little ice lolly commonly stocked in the ice cart), a former cyclist, proud of his Aztec ancestry and pioneer of Monterrey’s Hip Hop culture. Together, we decided to transform the ice cart into a slow moving « low-rider », playing ‘bass music’, to attract crowds to a technical, aesthetic curiosity which was previously a street object. ••••• Craftsman and Engineer : Oscar vasquez (Sabalo)
BASS CREAM CART ••••• Mobile Institute / Ismael Bennani ••••• The ambulant merchants’ Ice Carts (« carito de paletas ») are a common sight in urban Latin America. Another well spread image of latino culture is « low-rider ». This consists in transforming a vehicle (car, motorcycle, bicycle) by adding all sorts of gleaming accessories in order to show them off in the city. Equally commonplace in California, this is nevertheless rooted solidly in Mexican culture, to the extent that it has become an ethnic demonstration for the one performing it. The project was developed after meeting Oscar Vasquez, ‘Sabalo’, as he is called (a Sabalito is a little ice lolly commonly stocked in the ice cart), a former cyclist, proud of his Aztec ancestry and pioneer of Monterrey’s Hip Hop culture. Together, we decided to transform the ice cart into a slow moving « low-rider », playing ‘bass music’, to attract crowds to a technical, aesthetic curiosity which was previously a street object. ••••• Craftsman and Engineer : Oscar vasquez (Sabalo)
HOLD UP ••••• Mobile Institute / Jonathan Sullam ••••• Hold Up is a performance relying on the assistance of telecommunications and the entire cultural administration. This involved TEP, Conarte and the Cultural Centre of Monterrey. The concept was to make people believe that the Cultural Centre was altogether going to be shifted elsewhere with the help of a massive crane and an equally impressive cable system. The daily press and TV press were informed of the event weeks ahead and contributed to spreading the information. The performance started early in the day with the arrival of a crane from the Zavala company. Straps were fixed all round to simulate the building’s suspension. The TV press played its role at the end of the afternoon, conducting interviews in the open air in front of the public who, with tired eyes, thought they were about to see their Cultural Centre on its original location for the very last time. ••••• Coordinator and Architect : Mariana Cabello Campuzano ••••• Administrative Approvals : Carlos Augusto Velazquez Moreno ••••• Company and sponsors : Gruas Zavala ••••• Materials’ search : Tyron Johnston
HOLD UP ••••• Mobile Institute / Jonathan Sullam ••••• Hold Up is a performance relying on the assistance of telecommunications and the entire cultural administration. This involved TEP, Conarte and the Cultural Centre of Monterrey. The concept was to make people believe that the Cultural Centre was altogether going to be shifted elsewhere with the help of a massive crane and an equally impressive cable system. The daily press and TV press were informed of the event weeks ahead and contributed to spreading the information. The performance started early in the day with the arrival of a crane from the Zavala company. Straps were fixed all round to simulate the building’s suspension. The TV press played its role at the end of the afternoon, conducting interviews in the open air in front of the public who, with tired eyes, thought they were about to see their Cultural Centre on its original location for the very last time. ••••• Coordinator and Architect : Mariana Cabello Campuzano ••••• Administrative Approvals : Carlos Augusto Velazquez Moreno ••••• Company and sponsors : Gruas Zavala ••••• Materials’ search : Tyron Johnston
Mobile Institute is an art platform initiated by artists. It is not associated to a specific place and values a more open platform for art development and its various exhibited forms. MI is a flexible interface:
1. As a Platform, MI is a catalyst for networking and creates the conditions in which artists can produce artwork. This specificity makes it stand as a network and a structure.
2. MI develops Projects as an artist group, working in association with established institutions and artists. Through its dynamic behaviour, MI creates specific productions.
3. The Laboratory is an experimental area where the MI utopian vision and research are used as a device for generating projects.
The « (MI) Mobile In Situ : Mexico » project involved setting up an interactive network of several Mexican entities. The initiative was jointly headed by Mobile Institute, Projet Diligence and TEP (Taller Experimental Plastica), an Experimental Art Workshop based in Monterrey NL. Our primary objective was to work in close partnership with budding Mexican artists, particularly in Monterrey. The key idea was to produce improvised work « in situ » within a given time in selected locations of the city of Monterrey.
TEP played a major role in coordinating and researching ways and means for each project, focusing chiefly on the set up of a structural base and logistics for individual projects. The Mobile in Situ project entailed several phases. The first week involved conferences and location checking. Workshop projects were organised through a series of debates and project elaboration, in the presence of attending artists who actively participated in the decision-making process and development.
Time spent on location was not devised for the construction of a finished artwork display but as a development of events culminating in an exhibition recounting the construction process. This process was experienced as a romantic one, a travel, free experience – an event which would not necessarily include the spectator’s experience with an object. The spectator is not seen, nor is he witnessing an art object.
There were 2 types of productions : The works of art in the desert were assembled scenographically, each work correlating with the other. Situated in a zone with a railway line crossing over it, the Icamole desert became the favourite scene of an abandoned spot, although not altogether devoid of civilisation. The installations punctuated parts of the zone from which other works entered the field of vision. Lived as a three-day experience, the works of art were first constructed and then brought into the desert to take up their position.
Whereas the desert was experienced as a self withdrawal, escaping from the eye of the spectator, the « Hold Up » performance/installation was intended as a direct confrontation with the public and its cultural symbol ; thus bringing together two opposed situations : the attraction of an exotic fugue and the appeal of an unattainable utopia.
Mexico exhibition was to present a process, a common and unique experiment over a given time. It had been agreed that the exhibition would take place in TEP’s hangar (which was used as a studio) at the end of the entire events. Evidence of installations created in the city and desert, as well as the various phases, drafts, performance objects and elements, was presented photographically as part of a global installation.
