Grease is the word

>> Stéphanie Lagueux’s melting sculpture “The Social Body” stars in Studio XX’s Web art fest Maid in Cyberspace

by CHRISTINE REDFERN

Studio XX’s Maid in Cyberspace Web art festival is back and bigger than ever this year. At new venue the Société des arts technologiques (SAT), this year the women’s digital resource centre’s festival theme is “The Double, the Multiple and Contamination in Web Art.” And though the event might be about art on the Web, don’t think there’s any reason to stay at home with your computer—the SAT will provide opportunities to mingle, interact and listen with thematic conferences, installations, online performances, Web Jams, electronic music and artists presentations.

The action starts Wednesday, Feb. 6,
6 p.m. at the vernissage with DJ Corina MacDonald and events happen Thursday–Saturday, between 1 p.m. and 3 a.m. Throughout the festival, a female body sculpted in grease, standing in a bathtub and animated by a video projection will be in the SAT’s front window. This is one part of Stéphanie Lagueux’s installation “The Social Body.” The other component is a Web site, where viewers can make alterations to a digital body. According to the choices made by the viewers online, bright lights positioned around the grease body light up and cause it to melt. The Mirror spoke with Lagueux about her ephemeral installation:

Mirror: You say this work is about “images of the female body.” What does that mean to you?

Stéphanie Lagueux: For me, the work expresses two contrasting feelings that I have; your head always tells you that to fit some ideal body image is not important, but at the same time, in their heart, everyone would like to have a perfect body.

M: Is the grease body a perfect body?

SL: No, it starts off as a normal woman’s body. As time passes the fat will melt and smell and the body will become deformed.

M: Why did you use fat—are there other reasons besides the obvious connection between body fat and the perfect figure?

SL: Fat is a great material to work with, soft and surprisingly seductive. Also I like working with materials that change over time. As the lights slowly melt the figure, the fat becomes a screen in motion for the video projection.

M: How does the video relate to the sculpture?

SL: The video itself is of dream images of beautiful bodies on a beach, with water and palm trees. It’s projected onto the body in the shape of a bathing suit.

M: What role does the viewer play?

SL: In my work I like to make situations that progress because of the viewer’s participation. The end point is defined, but the viewer affects the process. :

Maid in cyberspace is online at www.studioxx.org/maid2002 or at the SAT (305 Ste-Catherine W.), Feb. 6–10. Info: 845-7934