Martin Messier / 14 Lieux

MACHINE MUSIC MOVEMENT Exploring the relation between sound and matter, 14 lieux harbours the peculiar creations of multidisciplinary artist Martin Messier. Shrugging off the frontiers between disciplines, the company challenged itself in 2010 to put sound first on the scene and to develop scenic works of art where electroacoustic music, numeric art, performance, installation and dance dialogue with each other. “When I created 14 lieux, I took the gamble that it is possible to listen to works of art perceived by the eye and to see sounds we hear. Sound can be much more than just a support for staging: it can be staged itself. Nowadays, I see the exploration of the body and of matter as a stimulating and innovative source of inspiration. My next installative, choreographic or performative creations will highlight and put intrigue on the human body, give it another way to be seen and heard. A new cycle of creation begins.” - Martin Messier Each production, declined either in performance or musical installation; dance or sound object, feeds into the desire itself to push back the boundaries of the daily realm of imagination by reinventing objects’ functions or day to day movements. From Sewing Machine Orchestra (2010), a sewing machine installation/concert, to Corps morts (2017), a soundly reflection and a choreography on gravity, by way of Field (2015), a performance of electromagnetic sounds, or even Ashes (2017), finding a way around our perceptions of the living through a scenic device composed of cameras and microscopes, 14 lieux’s creations explore the meanders of the numeric and of the organic and offer the spectator a way to live art differently. 14 lieux’s creations have been presented across the world in more than twenty countries and in many prestigious international festivals such as the Festival TransAmériques (Montréal), Mutek (Montréal), Transmediale (Berlin), Sonar (Barcelone), Mapping Festival (Genève), Nemo (Paris) and the Festival Europ