The Lyrical Stream – Mizu no oto

The Lyrical Stream is a photographic installation including haïku, music and video. It is inspired by a small stream, by my house, I visited almost everyday. The ever changing sound it made attracted my attention. Its subtilty, its diversity and, mostly, its music became an obsession. So, I decide to share its calm power by creating this installation The Lyrical Stream. Here are the elements of the work.

The photographic dimension

I used the long exposure, a technique that can captures images for several seconds or even minutes. That means that the image shows the passage of time rather stopping it, as occurs in an ordinary snapshot. Visually, what you see is the exact recording of one minute in the stream’s life, which results in both an impressionistic as well as abstract image. For both the photographer and the viewer, it’s an invitation to experience the passage of time. Gallery of the photos exhibited at La Maison de Étudiants Canadien, Paris  ==>>>
Gallery of the photos exhibited at Fondation Lucien Paye, Paris ==>>>
Gallery of the photos exhibited at La Maison du Japon, Paris ==>>>

The auditory element

Original electro-acoustic music by Bernard Fort transports the viewer even closer to the banks of the stream; a dreamlike space-time continuum. The composer aims to balance the gentle sound of the stream with a composed electro-acoustical background. The listener can turn his attention either to the natural sounds of the stream or listen to the composed soundtrack.
To listen to the music == >>>

The poetic element

Compiled by Maxianne Berger, the poetic elements is comprised of a collection of haikus, three-line poems that express a vivid feeling and awareness of the moment. The haikus accompany the images to evoke yet more experiences of emotion and contemplation. The poets are of Canadian, French and Japanese origin and including the master Bashõ.
Each poem is shown in three languages==>>>

 Slow art and cultural transmission

The installation is designed to slow down people’s mental flow and relax them, facilitating receptivity and openness. It can be described as  »Slow Art, » where image, sound and poetry contribute to concentration and contemplation of the present. To get an idea of the installation, Auguste Portelance-Bédard, produced a short video assembling all the elements. ==>>> 

In terms of theme, design and interdisciplinarity, The Lyrical Stream is aimed at a broad audience, not least of which is due to its trilingual presentation.