Introduction
Martian Dreams Ensemble transports us to Mars and back via dreams, projections and desires. By means of music as well as using spatial and graphic approaches, the Ensemble plays with the possibilities of the exhibition format. The ensemble comprises the graphic artist Marie Proyart, the musician Julien Perez, the diorama designer Joi Bittle and the architect Martial Galfione. Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster brings them all together – in the exhibition, in the concert and in the space.
If one views the exhibition as the sum of various thoughts and questions, Martian Dreams Ensemble is concerned with the following: dreams of people, dreams of Martians and Martian culture, dreams of the future and the past of the planet Mars for us as human beings. As is the case in many of her other works, the artist’s interest in Mars is inspired by works of literature. Here she refers explicitly to Ray Bradbury‘s “The Martian Chronicles” and “The Illustrated Man”, or Leigh Brackett’s romantic descriptions of Mars. Both are not without criticism of mankind and policies of occupying foreign territory, implying the possibility of destruction and exploitation.
The exploration of the world of science fiction has accompanied the work of Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster for almost 20 years. It began in 2001 in Dijon with Cosmodrome and Quelle architecture pour Mars? TH.2058 at the Tate Modern in London marked a shift in focus towards dystopias – as did Ballard Garden in Antwerp and Pynchon Park at the MAAT in Lisbon, which allowed human behaviour to be observed under ideal conditions. “The exhibition as a means that unites all parameters – work, title, lighting, sound, audience and time – is central to my artistic work. I have always been more interested in immersive artworks than in autonomous objects.” (DGF)