Location – Migration (2019)

location, location, location: we are getting closer (May 22-26, 2002), was a portable webcam project carried out as our participation in the Atlantic Cultural Space Conference, Moncton, NB. For the project, we travelled east to the Conference from Calgary, Alberta. Flying into cities along the way, we worked in connection with the artist run centres: Videopool, Winnipeg, Saw Video, Ottawa and EMMEDIA, Calgary. Setting out with a portable/wireless apparatus, we communicated between the centres while conducting street interviews with anyone who wanted to talk about the quality of life in her/his city.

Valerie LeBlanc and Daniel H. Dugas

https://locationlocationlocationwearegettingcloser.wordpress.com/

Jim and I (2019)

My bank went through a rejuvenation treatment also known as a ‘renovation.’ The contractors worked mostly at night and then, the bank closed altogether for a few days. When it came back into the physical world, it was as an open-concept entity.

As far as transformation goes, this was an important re-emergence. The bank is more spacious and brighter, with little restaurant-booths-like stations on the side. I like to think that customers could sit there to dream of cheesecakes and other delights. The only thing missing, it seems, is a Ping-Pong table. But as I waited in line, yes there is still a queue area – a difficult concept to fathom in an open-plan design, I started to think of how strange the whole thing is. What is this openness all about? Is the bank really open, or does it just feel open?

Banks have always thrived on the idea of privacy, of cubicles, of safety deposit boxes and even if the appearance of the bank happens to change, the invisible walls are probably as thick now as they were before. It probably boils down to simple economics; fewer wall surfaces and less maintenance might translate into more profits. All of the above advantages come into play without mention of the fact that an open banking surface becomes easier to monitor. In fact, my bank’s openness might be closer to Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon than to Frank Lloyd Wright’s pioneering open-plan designs, which “represented the promise of a new social ideal […] that would […] allow egalitarian integration”.[1]

But now, why would a bank – not the most benevolent entity in the world – care about egalitarian integration? I think that by opting for an open-plan layout, my bank was hoping for a magical, sympathetic effect; that seeing the openness of the space; we could automatically assign these perceptions to the bank itself. In short, that we could believe that the bank is as open, generous and honest as the space it occupies.

So here it is, my new bank, based on the foundation of my old bank. A wolf dressed up as a grandmother has opened its doors to welcome me, to do business with me. I wait in a line that is as long as the one before. Then, I notice a smiling clerk getting up and walking toward me. “Hi, I’m Jim, how can I help you today.” It is nice of him to say that, but there is something artificial about our first contact, something uncomfortable. The script will be restated over and over in the coming weeks, months and years. No doubt, it will come to sound more natural. Meanwhile, Jim and I walk to his workstation where he opens his computer. I stand on the side, almost like being in a pub. As I enter my passcode, I realize that it signals the end of all openness. Night has suddenly fallen; the bright sunshine of my bank is no more. We are now moving in a closed-floor-plan, a world of encryption, firewalls and privacy screens.

[1] The Curse of an Open Floor Plan, The Atlantic, Ian Bogost, May 17, 2018
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/05/the-curse-of-an-open-floor-plan/560561/

Fundy (2019)

Fundy
A projet by Valerie LeBlanc and Daniel H. Dugas

Learning that July 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the famous quote: “ … one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” we decided to combine our own voyages to capture the spirit of places in and surrounding the Fundy biosphere with this out-of-world historic event.

We set out to explore a wide range of sites within and surrounding the Fundy Biosphere. Our attention was drawn in many directions throughout this multi-season project. Visiting sites in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, we began to focus on the various sedimentary rock formations surrounding the Bay. We began to perceive sites with red rock as Martianesque landscapes.

As the project developed, we decided to incorporate the idea of astronaut explorers making observations at specific sites. In essence, Fundy is a project with a focus on nature and human intervention into natural settings. Through it, we have examined boundaries designated by humans and the natural flow moving back and forth through tides, winds, and winged migrations. Through this close-up look at the Fundy biosphere, we observed many of the cycles that are endlessly repeated through time and seasons. Overall, Fundy comments on the value of our planetary home.

The completed project contains 15 short videos. Some photographs have been posted on the website and other composite photographs have been set aside for exhibition during screenings/gallery installations. The videos are currently password protected (to the public) while we apply to screen/exhibit the works.

WEBSITE: http://fundy.basicbruegel.com/

We acknowledge the support of Artsnb.
Nous remercions Artsnb de son soutien.

Compte rendu d’Everglades (2019)

Compte rendu d’Everglades rédigé par Catherine Parayre pour Voix plurielles, la revue de l’Association des Professeur-e-s de Français des Universités et Collèges Canadiens

Lien direct PDF: https://journals.library.brocku.ca/index.php/voixplurielles/article/view/2096/1669

Voix plurielles 15.2 (2018) 259
Dugas, Daniel H. et Valerie LeBlanc. Everglades. Sudbury : Prise de parole, 2018. 181 p.

Sur une invitation de AIRIE (Artists in Residence in Everglades), les artistes
interdisciplinaires Daniel H. Dugas et Valerie LeBlanc partent en 2014 pour le Parc national des
Everglades dans le sud de la Floride. Ils emportent avec eux leur expérience en écriture,
photographie et vidéo ; s’affublent de vêtements les protégeant des moustiques et s’aventurent
dans des marais et marécages sauvages qui gardent pourtant de nombreuses traces de présence
humaine : vieilles voitures, routes défoncées, bâtiments abandonnés et un site militaire hâtivement
installé lors de la crise des missiles en 1962 entre les Etats-Unis et, sur le territoire cubain, l’Union
soviétique, sans compter qu’aujourd’hui le Parc accueille annuellement environ un million de
visiteurs.

C’est dans ce lieu informe et ambigu, où l’eau se mue lentement et abrite une faune
diversifiée, que Dugas et LeBlanc installent leur équipement, observent, documentent et racontent,
produisant tour à tour des vidéopoèmes et des marches sonores. Le somptueux ouvrage Everglades
donne une forme achevée à ce projet de création. Il contient de magnifiques photos, composées et
manipulées de sorte à fondre la fidélité de la reproduction dans l’invention d’environnements
imaginaires. Certaines photos, telle la couverture, évoquent la peinture ; d’autres, la vidéo ; et la
plupart une science-fiction trempée de réalité. Celle-ci est d’ailleurs renforcée par la présence de
photos satellites et d’archives.

En fait, l’intervention humaine constitue le thème commun de ce projet et des textes.
Poèmes en prose, entièrement bilingues, ceux-ci procurent les impressions ressenties dans les
Everglades et témoignent de la peur des animaux – en particulier, de la panthère de Floride
menacée de disparition et, pire, du python birman introduit tardivement et qui prolifère dans les
marécages. Dugas et LeBlanc retracent des marches pendant lesquelles il faut faire attention à ne
pas être blessé, et s’approchent de ruines le long des quelques chemins existants. Leurs textes
rapportent l’expérience des auteurs mais inventent aussi des personnages, par exemple un soldat
venu installer un missile nucléaire durant la Guerre froide. Le recueil est, bien entendu, parcouru
de références aux lieux et à l’implantation humaine, les tenant pour communément connus. Pour
les lectrices et lecteurs, ceci est une aubaine qui les plonge in medias res dans les épaisseurs des
sous-bois et des eaux dormantes, comme si nous étions soumis à un sortilège.

En avant-goût, voici quelques images littéraires sorties du recueil : « Moustiques, mouches
à feu / et papillons de nuit / tombent dans le piège » ; « Nous voilà expert à fracturer le temps / maitre à mesurer le taux de dispersion / la trajectoire de toute chose. » ; « l’alchimie des ruines
provoque une réaction physique si intense qu’une chose profondément enfouie au fond de nous
s’ouvre comme une blessure », ou encore « J’ai vu une ogive nucléaire évidée de sa charge
destructive, placée tel un bibelot à côté du légendaire bouton rouge ». La culture dans laquelle
puisent nos deux auteurs comprend tout aussi bien Henry David Thoreau qu’Andreï Tarkovski
(Stalker) ou Alfred Hitchcock (Psychose). A la fin d’Everglades, les lectrices et lecteurs trouveront
un lien vers les vidéopoèmes et les marches sonores sur lesquels se base l’ouvrage.

Pour nous tous, une aventure immersive.

Catherine Parayre

Miami Book Fair – remerciements (2018)

Miami Book Fair 2018

1-GOPR7707-D+V-writers-row

2-GOPR7704-writers-row-display

3-DSC02687-writers-row

4-DSC02680-DD-VG-wiiters-row

5-GOPR7742-student-union-bldg

7-GOPR7746-writers-row-above

8-DSC02693-Books-and-Books-lecture-hall

8A-DSC02703-Miami-street-DD

9-DSC02695-talk-lecture-hall-Deborah

10-DSC02699-talk-lecture-hall-VL

11-GOPR7731-Books-and-kiosk

12-GOPR7756-writers-row-end-of-day-last-to-go

13-GOPR7789-afterdark-writers-row-harper

14-GOPR7679-Standard-party

Le dimanche 18 novembre, Valerie et moi avons participé à la foire de livre et montés sur scène pour effectuer la présentation suivante :

Les Everglades : expériences transformatrices
Valerie LeBlanc et Daniel H. Dugas, artistes en résidence dans le Parc national des Everglades en 2014 ainsi que Deborah Mitchell, directrice de AIRIE (Artists in residence in Everglades) discuteront de leurs livres et des enjeux environnementaux et culturels liés à cet écosystème du sud de la Floride. Les auteurs présenteront des images et des vidéos tirées de leurs œuvres respectives. Une période d’échanges avec le public et une séance de signature suivront la présentation.

La foire du livre de Miami est un des plus grands rendez-vous du livre des États-Unis, à quelques kilomètres des Everglades où notre livre est né. C’est une occasion formidable de mettre notre travail en valeur auprès d’un public pertinent.

Sunday, November 18, Valerie and I participated in the Miami Book Fair Writers’ Row and presented this following talk:

Transformative Experiences in the Everglades
Everglades Field Guide: From Reality to Memory, Deborah Mitchell
Everglades, Valerie LeBlanc and Daniel H. Dugas
Artists in Residence in Everglades, (AIRIE) Director Deborah Mitchell and 2014 fellows Valerie LeBlanc and Daniel H. Dugas discuss their new art books referencing the cultural history of this fragile, imperiled ecosystem. Their strategic goal is to inspire the public to reconsider the environment while also illuminating the region’s collective heritage through art, history and science. The presentation will include stunning images from their publications and video poems created by LeBlanc and Dugas during the AIRIE in residence in 2014. The discussion will be followed by a Q & A session and book signing.

Nous remercions Prise de parole, le REFC et ARTSNB pour leur soutien dans ce projet!
We would like to thank Prise de parole, the REFC, and ARTSNB for their support!

Instants Vidéo – Programme au jour le jour (2018)

Je suis super content de faire partie de la 31e édition des Instants Vidéo, un de mes festivals préférés ! Ma vidéo « Aequilibris » sera présentée à Marseille au « Vidéodrome 2 », le 20 novembre à 18h30 dans un programme intitulé  « Les « dé-nuisances » sonores et visuelles »

Voici le lien pour voir le programme au jour le jour : https://www.instantsvideo.com/blog/archives/3710

Bon festival !

Anima Methodi (2018)

I am delighted to have threes texts in this anthology edited by Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé and Eric Tinsay Valles. Anima Methodi will be launch on 11 Nov, Sun 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM at The Arts House (TAH), Gallery ll

Edited by Desmond Kon and Eric Valles, the anthology, Anima Methodi, features over 70 contributors engaging with this new made-in-Singapore poetic form, comprising the binate octave, volta, repetition and meta sensibilities. Also launching is Hermitage of Dreamers, a collection of lyric essays. This book commemorates the 100th anniversary of Kazimir Malevich’s painting, ‘White on White’ (1918). This book launch will feature an array of readings by stellar new voices.

https://www.singaporewritersfestival.com/nacswf/nacswf/programme-listing/free-events/Anima-Methodi—Hermitage-of-Dreamers.html

Miami Book Fair (2018)

(le français suit)

We are extremely happy to have been invited to the 35th annual Miami Book Fair!
We will be giving a talk on November 18.

Transformative Art from the Everglades
Sunday, November 18 @ 4:30 pm
Room 7128 (Building 7, 1st Floor)
300 NE Second Ave., Miami, Fl 33132 United States

We will also have a booth on Writer’s Row! Hope to see you there!

Transformative Experiences in the Everglades
Everglades Field Guide: From Reality to Memory, Deborah Mitchell
Everglades, Valerie LeBlanc and Daniel H. Dugas
Artists in Residence in Everglades, (AIRIE) Director Deborah Mitchell and 2014 fellows Valerie LeBlanc and Daniel H. Dugas discuss their new art books referencing the cultural history of this fragile, imperiled ecosystem. Their strategic goal is to inspire the public to reconsider the environment while also illuminating the region’s collective heritage through art, history and science. The presentation will include stunning images from their publications and video poems created by LeBlanc and Dugas during the AIRIE in residence in 2014. The discussion will be followed by a Q & A session and book signing.

Français
Le dimanche 18 novembre, Valerie et moi participerons à la foire de livre et monteront sur scène, de 16h30 à 17h30, pour effectuer la présentation suivante :

Les Everglades : expériences transformatrices
Valerie LeBlanc et Daniel H. Dugas, artistes en résidence dans le Parc national des Everglades en 2014 ainsi que Deborah Mitchell, directrice de AIRIE (Artists in residence in Everglades) discuteront de leurs livres et des enjeux environnementaux et culturels liés à cet écosystème du sud de la Floride. Les auteurs présenteront des images et des vidéos tirées de leurs œuvres respectives. Une période d’échanges avec le public et une séance de signature suivront la présentation.

La foire du livre de Miami est un des plus grands rendez-vous du livre des États-Unis, à quelques kilomètres des Everglades où notre livre est né. C’est une occasion formidable de mettre notre travail en valeur auprès d’un public pertinent.

Salon du livre de Dieppe (2018)

Je suis ravi de faire partie de la programmation du Salon du livre de Dieppe! Voici mon horaire :

Vendredi 19 octobre
20 h – Soirée littéraire avec Daniel H. Dugas, Valérie LeBlanc, Christian Roy, Marc Arseneau, Sébastien Bérubé et Hervé Gagnon animée par Sébastien Lord-Émard à la Galerie du 2e du Centre Aberdeen.

Samedi 20 octobre
12 h à 13 h – Dédicaces – Everglades – Éditions Prise de parole – Kiosque no 28
14 h à 16 h – Dédicaces – Everglades – Éditions Prise de parole – Kiosque no 28

Dimanche 21 octobre
12 h à 13 h – Dédicaces – Everglades – Éditions Prise de parole – Kiosque no 28

https://www.salondulivredieppe.com/

To End All War Anthology (2018)

I am very happy that one of my poems has been included in the anthology To End All Wars. The book is published by Puncher & Wattmann and edited by Dael Allison, Anna Couani, Kit Kelen, and Les Wicks with a launch at The Shop Gallery in Sydney – 3 pm, Saturday 27 October – 112 Glebe Point Road, Glebe.

‘To End All Wars’ was a phrase applied hopefully during ‘The Great War’. Its various permutations were meant to suggest that this one might be the last war of all. How quickly the phrase became ironic. How many wars have followed! The words ‘to end all wars’ must remind us today that all armed conflict is a vast social catastrophe. The centenary of the World War I Armistice comes with a barely veiled triumphalism in the countries that were victorious one hundred years ago. It was that triumphalism, and the failed peace that followed it, which led onto new catastrophes in World War II and then the Cold War. Now, well into the 21st century, with ever uglier nationalisms raising their heads everywhere, it is time to critically examine the Armistice of one hundred years ago, and its meaning for Australia and for the world, then and now.

This collection contains work from Australasia’s leading poets, some of whom have made a particular focus on conflict like Jennifer Maiden & Geoff Page. But a clear goal from the beginning was to have a truly diverse collection to fully give the flavor of our society as it is now and the impact conflict has on it. This was in part achieved by an open call for submissions which yielded a number of valuable surprises which would have been otherwise overlooked.

An Earshot programme based on the anthology will air on Radio National Mon 5th November 11 am on Radio National, repeated Sat 10th November 1.30pm.

https://puncherandwattmann.com/books/book/to-end-all-wars