Dominique Sirois (CA) and Baron Lanteigne (CA): "In Extremis", 2019

screens, ceramics (sandstone), printed cotton fabrics, cables, ducts, hose, molded leather, media players

Through an arrangement of proliferating screens, cables, textile structures and ceramic components, it suggests a certain disorder in which there is discontinuous dialogue between connection and disconnection. Could the Internet survive its own death, in a virtuality that would escape us? This question, which evidently remains unresolved, here stimulates reflection about the way in which the Internet’s infrastructure extends beyond the screen. Between the hardware, the screen apparatus and the undetermined space of the digital, there is a gesture—that of turning this system on. Various zones are revealed: first, the screen-portal that receives and emits the data; then the touchscreen and its manual operation, which is extended into a great number of connectivity phalanges; and finally there is the other side of the screen—beyond the screen? The networks’ infrastructure, more specifically the underground fibre optic channels, which are akin to a nervous/bone system, then reveals the fragility of the World Wide Web—unless this fragility is nothing but a facade?

Dominique Sirois (CA)

A native of Montréal, artist and educator Dominique Sirois holds a master’s degree (2010) and a Ph.D. (2022) in visual arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Her practice takes the form of installations composed primarily of sculptures and assemblages in ceramic, glass, and cast metal. Sirois is particularly interested in sculptural techniques because of their grounding in geological processes and their close ties to fields such as economics, computer technology, and, historically, alchemy. Sirois’s works have been exhibited in numerous artist-run centres and galleries across Canada. She has completed numerous residencies outside Quebec, including in Glasgow (UK), Paris (FR), Barcelona (ES), and Banff (CA). In group and collaborative exhibitions, Sirois has presented her work at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest (HU), Le Commun in Geneva (CH), the PHI Foundation, and the Galerie de l’UQAM in Montréal.

Baron Lanteigne (CA)

Baron Lanteigne lives and works in Quebec City, Canada. His practice is rooted in infiltrations of and collaborations with numerous web-native communities. His works were presented around the world in locations such as the Ludwig Museum in Budapest (HU), the Modern Art Museum Lyon (FR), the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris (FR), the Centre des Arts of Enghien-les-Bains (FR), the Seoul Arts Center (KR), the Gwangju Media Platform (KR), the Kunstmuseum in Bonn (DE), and many others. Baron Lanteigne’s work has been part of many digital art events, including ISEA, Mapping Festival (CH), Mirage Festival (FR), MUTEK (CA; JP), Dutch Design Week (NL), Lunchmeat (CZ), Sónar+D (ES), CPH:DOX (DK), and BIAN by ELEKTRA (CA).