Sculptor, performer, communicator and author Jocelyn Robert has taught at Université Laval’s School of Visual Arts since 2008. He founded Avatar, an artist-run centre devoted to audio and electronic art, in 1993 and has received notable awards such as the Prix du Rayonnement international from the Conseil de la culture du Québec (2006). In his installations, disciplines overlap as everyday objects or pieces of furniture are fitted with complex electronic systems that overtake their primary functions. As seen in Ground Station (2003), which was made in collaboration with Daniel Joliffe, the piano is a recurring theme: the installation featured a Disklavier grand piano paired with a GPS device and a computer specially programmed for the project. The satellite movement tracked by the positioning system was transformed into the score for a playful melody.
SEE:
« An Interview with Jocelyn Robert » by Louise Provencher, ESPACE #59, p. 6.
