The SBC Gallery of Contemporary Art is pleased to present this commanding and original work by Lyne Lapointe, a singularly exceptional artist whose work last appeared on the Montreal scene in 2002.



La Clef (2003-2006) is an installation that is at once pictoral, sculptural and “musical”. It consists of seven panels (our exhibition is presenting four, indicated here with an “*”), six of which have a musical instrument built into them. The seventh panel is a console* that ties the other panels together. Once activated, simple mechanisms move mechanical “arms” or “hands” that play the instruments: a violin, a mandolin*, a zither*, a rain stick*, a drum and a cymbal, and an accordion* placed on a chair. The work also contains three photographs depicting the artist as an “automaton”, as she so puts it.



In this work, Lapointe shows her fascination with automatons and defective, fragile bodies, as well as with the mechanical fallibility of the human body, which nonetheless puts up a resistance to the accidents and defects that affront it. It is a self-portrait of the artist.



Jean Derome dialogues with Lyne Lapointe’s automatons:
Saturday, September 27, 2008, at 3:00 p.m. at the Gallery. Free admission.
Saturday, October 25, 2008, at 3:00 p.m. at the Gallery. Free admission.



One of the most active and eclectic artists on today’s Canadian music scene, Jean Derome enjoys widespread acclaim. He has accepted the unique opportunity to interact with Lyne Lapointe’s musical automatons in an improvised performance.