1 drop 1000 yearsMartin Messier (CA)

performance, 2023

Scientists agree that a drop of water travels the globe in less than 1000 years. This drop shapes our world: it transports nutrients, heat and living organisms, while regulating our planet's climate and ecosystems. It contributes to the fundamental process of life's equilibrium.

Drawing on data from the Global Conveyor Belt, the vast ocean current that orchestrates the mixing of water from the five oceans and redistributes heat on a global scale, Martin Messier underlines the fundamental role of water as a vital substance. Yet, over the past two centuries, human action has been shaking this fragile balance: the gradual slowing of this ocean current could trigger a major climatic upheaval, threatening the entire chain of life.

In this hypnotic performance, the artist explores the tensions between the global currents that drive planetary equilibrium, and the intimate currents that resonate within each of us. Fifteen suspended devices, veritable kinetic sculptures, orchestrate the flow of water particles in real time, materializing oceanic dynamics. The patterns generated, fed by data such as the temperature and salinity of the Pacific Ocean, intertwine in a visual and sonic choreography. 1 drop 1000 years reveals itself as a masterful, poetic ballet, conveying the fragility of ecosystems and the delicate harmony that binds all things on Earth.

Director, performance, light and music: Martin Messier
Curator: Jae Bang
Production: 14 lieux, Inscape, MUTEK
Creative and Technical Assistant: Lilian Guiran
External consultants: Nathanaël Lécaudé (Electronics), Joseph Battesti (Engineering)
With the help of: Marie-France Gagné, Remy Janelle, Alexandre Sasst-Blouin, Patrick Lamothe
Development Manager at 14 lieux: Abigaëlle Parisé
Residence: Recto-Verso, Quebec
Acknowledgements: Francis Vaillancourt-Martin, Ingrid Vallus, Rachel Billet and La machinerie des arts, Caroline Laurin-Beaucage, Mia Messier, Thomas Paquet
With the support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des Arts de Montréal

Martin Messier (CA)

Martin Messier (CA) orchestrates a dialogue between sound, light and movement. His award-winning performances and installations (Prix Ars Electronica, Japan Media Arts Awards...) combine technologies with natural elements - water, smoke, waves, electricity - and explore the manifestation of physical phenomena. His works take the form of astonishing machines, structures that appear minimalist or immaterial. These devices are presented at major international institutions such as Festival TransAmériques, Trafó Budapest, MUTEK, Transmediale, Sonar and Nemo.

martinmessier.art