'' It's the Molecules’ Turn Now | A history of performance art on the Riviera from 1951 until now

It's the Molecules’ Turn Now

Creator: 
Bruno Mendonça
Performer: 
Bruno Mendonça
Witness: 
Christian Galzin
Jeanne Gérardin
François Goalec
France Paringaux
Jean-Pierre Paringaux
Vicky Remy
Anne-Marie Villeri
Bibliographical sources: 
in Bruno Mendoça, Bibliothèques éphémères, Editions de l'Ormaie, 2002
Producer: 
Bruno Mendonça
Website: 
//bruno-mendonca.com
Theoretical background: 
this performance wanted to provide for 24 hours a place for meetings, for actions, for scientific, linguistic, poetic and plastic events, where the body would react to the duration, to the ritual involved.

It was the continuation of a series of performances exploring space, the relationship between sound poetry and texts, sounds, recordings, programming of the first computers with synthetic voices. The series started in a cave in Saint-Jeannet in 1976 for 76 hours nonstop. Painting, writing, declaiming in total darkness and in the end discovering the result: nine 65 x 50 cm drawings and ten 15F paintings. There were nine hours of recordings. This performance was a continuation of the events I had programmed collectively on the Riviera.
Occurence: 
Places: 
Galerie Catherine Issert
Starting date: 
1982
24 heures
Topology: 
gallery
Producer: 
Catherine Issert
Jennifer Flay
Adress: 
Saint-Paul de Vence
France

une mauvaise bande vidéo VHS inégale

Synopsis / Description: 
une mauvaise bande vidéo VHS inégale
Performances: 
It's the Molecules’ Turn Now

Bandes sons: 18 cassettes réalisées spécialement pour ces 24 heures avec un ordre aléatoire de rotation 20 bandes? 24 enregistrements faits pour la performance...

Synopsis / Description: 
Bandes sons: 18 cassettes réalisées spécialement pour ces 24 heures avec un ordre aléatoire de rotation 20 bandes? 24 enregistrements faits pour la performance...
MENDON
Objets: 

une série de photos-montages et photos réhaussées.

Technique description référence: 
une série de photos-montages et photos réhaussées.
Bruno Mendonça | trace de la performance "Au tour des molécules", 1982 | © Bruno Mendonça | courtesy de l'artiste
Bruno Mendonça | trace de la performance "Au tour des molécules", 1982 | © Bruno Mendonça | courtesy de l'artiste

1 peinture collage faite pendant la nuit

Technique description référence: 
1 peinture collage faite pendant la nuit

1 sculpture monochrome noire

Technique description référence: 
1 sculpture monochrome noire

10 peintures acryliques faites au petit matin, réalisées pendant la performance

Technique description référence: 
10 peintures acryliques faites au petit matin, réalisées pendant la performance

16 diapositives projetées lors de la performance, créées sur plaques de verre (peintures sur verre)

Technique description référence: 
16 diapositives projetées lors de la performance, créées sur plaques de verre (peintures sur verre)

combinaison peinte pour la performance, coll. Bruno Mendonça

Technique description référence: 
combinaison peinte pour la performance, coll. Bruno Mendonça
Documents: 

carton d'invitation

Type: 
Imprimé
Technique description référence: 
carton d'invitation
Notes: 
La galeirie Catherine Issert en a t'elle conservé des exemplaires?

Nice Matin, 22 juin 1982

Type: 
Presse
Technique description référence: 
Nice Matin, 22 juin 1982

Axe Sud n°4-5, été 1982

Type: 
Presse
Technique description référence: 
Axe Sud n°4-5, été 1982

documents préparatoires: dessins, photos, plans

Type: 
Manuscrit
Technique description référence: 
documents préparatoires: dessins, photos, plans
MENDON
Description: 
The entire gallery, walls and floor, was covered with clear plastic. Seven sculptures were installed, a work table, a slide projector for specially painted slides, machines for fiddling with the sound and with the color of the lamps. I also installed a sound system, a tape recorder and an editing table to broadcast the 24 tapes of the sound track that was made specifically to accompany this 24 hour nonstop performance. A camera completed this device.

Moving the sculptures, putting them down on the floor like mummies. This first step announced the action, which unfolded progressively by placing sand, rocks, stones, apples and objects retracing a “ natural history" of the relationship between performance-body-sculpture. The action unfolded very slowly. The light spectrum was set thanks to machines which turned the spotlights on and off. Slides were shown with the first cutting of a sculpture in two with a chainsaw. Apples were placed in the cells and the pieces were turned around. The 24 tapes were broadcast during the entire action, with more or less intensity.

In the middle of the night I worked at the table with acrylic paint on 110 x 75 cm and 65 x 50 cm canvases. I made a series of cells, I finished the details of certain pieces to give them a realistic organic aspect. A dozen pieces were painted. Others were done by piecing together various hand cut sheets of paper. I worked until morning, had breakfast after.

I reworked on the initial set-up with acrylic paint, repainting some of the parts of the cutup sculptures, and on the plastic sheet covering the floor, which looked like a memory yard sale. I unrolled some tapes and glued fragments of them on fragments of the sculptures.

I painted my ABAQUES signs with a size 10 brush and black paint, I covered the gallery space with a crowd of intermingled signs. Once the gallery was painted, with the same black paint I continued tracing the signs on the floor and on the sculptures with a smaller paintbrush.

With a microscope I observed samples of my blood, and of various materials, which I copied with one hand and one eye on the paper, and with the other eye fixed on the molecules. I finished the performance at 6 PM, after 24 hours of nonstop actions.
The entire gallery, walls and floor, was covered with clear plastic. Seven sculptures were installed, a work table, a slide projector for specially painted slides, machines for fiddling with the sound and with the color of the lamps. I also installed a sound system, a tape recorder and an editing table to broadcast the 24 tapes of the sound track that was made specifically to accompany this 24 hour nonstop performance. A camera completed this device.

Moving the sculptures, putting them down on the floor like mummies. This first step announced the action, which unfolded progressively by placing sand, rocks, stones, apples and objects retracing a “ natural history" of the relationship between performance-body-sculpture. The action unfolded very slowly. The light spectrum was set thanks to machines which turned the spotlights on and off. Slides were shown with the first cutting of a sculpture in two with a chainsaw. Apples were placed in the cells and the pieces were turned around. The 24 tapes were broadcast during the entire action, with more or less intensity.

In the middle of the night I worked at the table with acrylic paint on 110 x 75 cm and 65 x 50 cm canvases. I made a series of cells, I finished the details of certain pieces to give them a realistic organic aspect. A dozen pieces were painted. Others were done by piecing together various hand cut sheets of paper. I worked until morning, had breakfast after.

I reworked on the initial set-up with acrylic paint, repainting some of the parts of the cutup sculptures, and on the plastic sheet covering the floor, which looked like a memory yard sale. I unrolled some tapes and glued fragments of them on fragments of the sculptures.

I painted my ABAQUES signs with a size 10 brush and black paint, I covered the gallery space with a crowd of intermingled signs. Once the gallery was painted, with the same black paint I continued tracing the signs on the floor and on the sculptures with a smaller paintbrush.

With a microscope I observed samples of my blood, and of various materials, which I copied with one hand and one eye on the paper, and with the other eye fixed on the molecules. I finished the performance at 6 PM, after 24 hours of nonstop actions.
Pendant la nuit
Bruno Mendonça | photographie de la performance "Au tour des molécules", 1982 | Pendant la nuit | © Bruno Mendonça | photographie : © François Goalec | courtesy de l'artiste
La journée
Bruno Mendonça | photographie de la performance "Au tour des molécules", 1982 | La journée | © Bruno Mendonça | photographie : © François Goalec | courtesy de l'artiste
''