From Body to Space to Art
When I invited Elina Brotherus to exhibit at Maison Louis Carré, the only building by Alvar and Elissa Aalto in France, she asked whether she could stay in the house for a few days and take photographs. We might perhaps use one or two photographs in the exhibition. Instead, that short stay in 2015 became the starting point for a new series of photographs that the artist has developed ever since in connection with various buildings, including those designed by the Aaltos. A few years later, Dafna Maimon filmed her short film Leaky Teeth in the house. In the midst of the pandemic and lockdown, she stayed there with the actors and film crew, isolated from the outside world. Another short film made there, which has since been screened widely, is Lighthouse by Eeva-Riitta Eerola and Jenny Toikka, in which the house becomes the setting for characters existing in parallel realities.
When I invited Elina Brotherus to exhibit at Maison Louis Carré, the only building by Alvar and Elissa Aalto in France, she asked whether she could stay in the house for a few days and take photographs. We might perhaps use one or two photographs in the exhibition. Instead, that short stay in 2015 became the starting point for a new series of photographs that the artist has developed ever since in connection with various buildings, including those designed by the Aaltos. A few years later, Dafna Maimon filmed her short film Leaky Teeth in the house. In the midst of the pandemic and lockdown, she stayed there with the actors and film crew, isolated from the outside world. Another short film made there, which has since been screened widely, is Lighthouse by Eeva-Riitta Eerola and Jenny Toikka, in which the house becomes the setting for characters existing in parallel realities.
Many artists have created works specifically for the spaces of the house. It was built for art dealer and collector Louis Carré in the late 1950s and designed by Aalto to accommodate and display art. When preparing an exhibition, whenever possible, artists often stay on site for a few days in order to experience the building: its light, materials, spaces, and surroundings. This physical approach is very important in creating a genuine dialogue with the architecture. Another example of a physical connection occurs when dancers or performance artists perform in the house. Their movements are a direct response to the effect that the space and its setting have on the body.
The Aaltos’ residential buildings offer an intimate and powerful connection through the quality of their design and their use of natural, “human-friendly” materials. They are also steeped in the history of those who lived there. When artists succeed in bringing together experience and the embodiment of a building’s soul, they create art that truly bridges the gap between visual art and architecture.
Ásdís Ólafsdóttir
Director, Maison Louis Carré
Director, Maison Louis Carré
Ásdís Ólafsdóttir. Director, Maison Louis Carré. Photo: Lucie Jean