What was the work’s initial intent, and how did you manage to take possession of this space?
The original intent was to generate a presence—mine, and that of various significant objects. During the first weeks I was really invested in the project. I would physically be in L’Écrin’s space, asking the question: “What should be done next?” Writing emerged naturally, both as something that comes from within and something that has been a part of my daily life for a very long time. Gradually, the wall began to fill with words and questions. I also started to gathering objects: a mirror, a bowl, a mask, a pillow, as well as small pieces of crumpled up paper that I sent flying around using a fan, to simulate a dark snow falling inside the space. Finally, I thought of hanging up a life-sized self-portrait that would become a surrogate for my presence, a stunt double … sort of a replacement that would take care of L’Écrin while I was away. Afterwards, whenever I would come back to L’Écrin, the question became “how can I create a connection with what is already here?”

Performances
Two performance pieces lasting several hours each were also presented in the storefront on June 20 and July 11. During the first piece, I momentarily lost the notion of time and space, as if I was in a trance-like state. This experience was far more profound than what I had anticipated.