MARTIN MESSIER | CON SORDINA

MARTIN MESSIER | CON SORDINA

Con Sordina is a performance at the crossroads of digital art and theater. Martin Messier takes us on an introspective plunge in which the cube motif remains the central element of a disquieting scenography. Using mechanical devices and sound and light technologies of his own design, Messier fashions a world where symbolism and introspection combine to reveal the interiority of a being in search of liberation.

In a series of paintings, the nude Martin Messier draws us into the subconscious of an enigmatic figure, by turns vulnerable, angry and appeased. To take us on a journey through the multiple emotions that seize his character, the artist uses a variety of elements, the two most important of which are smoke, a metaphor for the inner volcano that is allowed to erupt at the same time as the original cry, and water, symbolizing a new-found inner peace, a release.

In the course of the work, as the character reveals his various states, the space around him is also transformed: the lighting takes on new forms, the ceiling lowers and shapes shift, reminding us of the relationship between human and environment, human and machine, and the fact that we are often at the mercy of something beyond our control. Gradually, an impression emerges: Con Sordina is also about ourselves, about everything that's inside us, what we hide, what we keep inside, what we don't know about ourselves, and what we need to free up in order to live better.

Director, performer, light and music
Martin Messier

Performer, creative assistant
Elinor Fueter

Technical director, Set fabrication, creative assistant
Francis Vaillancourt-Martin

Creative advisor
Odile Gamache

Performer during the research stages
Kimberley De Jong

Stage manager
Arthur Champagne

Electronic
Nathanaël Lécaudé

Production
14 lieux