[Fall 2025]
Records of Encounters with the Living
by Josianne Poirier
[EXCERPT]
You’ll find Frédéric Lavoie tramping through the woods or standing immobile at the edge of a marsh more often than comfortably ensconced in his studio. Although he devotes the dormant winter months to administrative tasks, the call of the outdoors becomes irresistible with the warmer weather, and he adopts the way of life of the living beings that he studies. For instance, some species of birds are particularly busy at dawn. You have to get up early to catch a glimpse of them in the quiet time before the sounds of human activity drown out their songs. Other species, descending from the boreal forest, spend just a few weeks a year on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. They can be observed only during this short window of time.
[…]
[ Complete issue, in print and digital version, available here: Ciel variable 130 – PLANTS AND GARDENS ]
[ Complete article in digital version available here: Records of Encounters with the Living]
With degrees in anthropology and in visual and media arts, Frédéric Lavoie pieces together elements of documentary or fiction to form narratives. His research is articulated around issues related to listening and observation, to nature-culture relationships, and to a critical and educational approach to anthropology. His works have been presented in galleries, artist-run centres, museums, and video events. In 2025, he had a solo exhibition at the Biosphère and took part in the group event in a handful of soil at the Adélard centre. vimeo.com/fredericlavoie
https://www.instagram.com/ferdydurkelavoie/
Art historian, author, and independent curator Josianne Poirier specializes in issues that concern the nocturnal landscape, forms of living-together (including with more-than-human beings), and art in public spaces. She has published Montréal fantasmagorique. Ou la part d’ombre des animations lumineuses urbaines (Lux Éditeur, 2022) and curated the group exhibition Éteindre la nuit (Fondation Grantham, 2024).