Light Between Us 2007

Alternator Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Collaboration with teachers and students from École de l’Anse-au-Sable and Alternator Gallery
Incandescent light bulbs, stained glass paint. Floor level: digital prints on acetate mounted on mirrors — Integrated in the exhibition space

“The art acation, Light Between Us is inspired by the concepts of French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas who holds that recognition of the other is initiated by sight. This latest work by Morissette continues the theme with the artist’s observation that our own existence and identity are forged by connection with the other in concert with the other’s outlook on us. To realize the project, the artist collaborated with over a hundred students from the l'Anse-au-sable school, Kelowna, pairing younger and older students to create a collective work exhibited at the Alternator. Each student was asked to paint the eye of his or her partner on a light bulb. The participants also took photographs of each other’s eyes, images that were transposed onto mirrors as part of the installation. Morissette put the students in the situation of acutely observing each other. In doing so, he is creating the necessary conditions for an awakening of awareness of the other in each of the young participants.

The installation created through this collaborative project invites the visitor into a space defined by the luminous power of the bulb-portraits and the reflective mirror-portraits. The light, which represents our spirit here, becomes the unifying element between participants and visitors, allowing them to take an active part in the reflection and the creative process of the artwork.’’

© Josette Oberson, Light Between Us, Observatoire 4, Montreal, Quebec, Canada