FÉLIX BLUME « Cello Suites »

FÉLIX BLUME

France | Canadian Premiere
– FREE –
TERRAIN DE PÉTANQUE

« Cello Suites » is a co-presentation of FIMAV and centre Avatar. The project was developed with the support of DRAC Occitanie.

Arizona is home to ancient windmills, remnants of the American dream and westward expansion. « Cello Suites » gives them new life as they bow the strings of a cello placed at the centre of the space, producing an improvised suite. Asleep, these iron ghosts accompany the dreams of desert travellers. Their sound resonates, evoking the passage of migrants in search of a better life. The video installation shows these ephemeral concerts on vertical screens, inviting attendees to discover this open-air orchestra playing the whims of the wind.

About the Artist

Félix Blume is a sound artist, a sound recordist, and a sound engineer. He currently lives in a small village in the south of France, where he grew up. He has worked on numerous projects in Mexico, Brazil, and other Latin American countries.

He shapes sound as material for his sound pieces, videos, actions, and installations. His creative process is often collaborative through engagement with local communities. He uses public space both as a site for experimentation and as a venue for presentation. Listening is at the heart of his practice, a process that goes beyond sound and invites audiences to grasp the imperceptible and fosters encounters through sound. His work focuses on the beings that surround us –– the buzz of a bee, a turtle’s footsteps, cricket song –– as well as the dialogue between humans and the natural or urban contexts they inhabit. He is interested in myths and their contemporary interpretation, and in what voices tell us beyond words.

His works have been broadcast on radio around the world, and he has presented his work at numerous international festivals and exhibitions.

He was awarded the ‘Paysage Sonore’ prize (2018) for his video-sound piece Curupira, bête des bois and the Pierre Schaeffer Prize (2015) for his work Les Cris de Mexico at the Phonurgia Nova Awards festival. His film Lumières du Désert won the First Prize for International Short Film at the L’Alternativa CCCB festival (2021) and the Grand Prix for Video Art at the Côté Court festival (2021).

He has presented his work at international festivals and museums such as the Thailand Biennial (Th), Manifesta (Es), Museo Reina Sofia (Es), Centre Pompidou (Fr), CTM Berlin, Domaine de Kerguéhennec (Fr), Berlinale Forum Expanded (De), Rotterdam IFFR (Nl), LOOP Barcelona (Es), Sonic Acts (Nl), Donau Festival (At), Tsonami Arte Sonoro (Cl), Fonoteca Nacional (Mx), Ex Teresa (Mx), CCCB Barcelona (Es), Laboratorio Arte Alameda (Mx), among others.

His works are part of the collections of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques (Fr), the Universidad Autónoma de México (Mx), Klankenbos (Be), the Musée Réattu (Fr) and the Institut National des Beaux Arts du Mexique (Mx), among others.