Galerie Sans Nom 2012





UNE COUPE DE CHEVEUX POUR LA FIN DU MONDE
( haircuts and projections : a collective prayer to help deal with the end of the world )









                           



Questioning the role of rituals in society, Une coupe de cheveux pour la fin du monde investigates the practical, spiritual, and esthetic nature of art. The barbershop idea generated from an invitation to FAAS 2012 (Foire d'art alternatif de Sudburry), where the parameters inspired me to give haircuts in my space. Sharing with the public about ''the end of the world'', a common thought expressed was that we are entering an era of greater community. Insisting that conversations and intentions have power to form the future, I ask each participant to sit five minutes and record positive thoughts into a lock of their hair that I've carefully selected. The artist becomes shaman, here in the form of a barber, channeling the great shift to help you better experience this cyclical end.

I chose to make interventions that examine collective memory and the ancestral imprint. Through archiving, appropriation and manipulation, there is a constant investigation into matter and its potential to hold memory. Can thought be manifested through prayer, through water, through material things? Collecting hundreds of hair sample, this latest project reminds me of Noha's Arc, where DNA holds genetic memory and somehow links us to collective consciousness. 

For this participative installation, Maryse Arseneault is collecting strands of hair, gifts of leather, birch bark, wild flowers, and other samples of this world. By sitting with the artist, you will engage in a dialogue about your hopes and fears facing the future. Please take part in this collective prayer for a sustainable society.