Abjure
Série photographique, bande sonore, film et livre-objet (2015)

LâIslande, « terre de glace », tiraillĂ©e par lâĂ©cartement de la dorsale mĂ©dio-atlantique, frontiĂšre entre les plaques tectoniques eurasienne et amĂ©ricaine. La Terre dans son Ă©tat primordial, de glaciers et de volcans. Paysages vierges, bruts, sauvages, invitations Ă lâhumilitĂ©. La trace humaine est fugace : quelques vestiges, tel un avion Ă©chouĂ© sur la plage, trĂ©sor archĂ©ologique inattendu. Et des corps fugitifs, flous.
Anthropocentrisme et gĂ©ocentrisme ont longtemps coexistĂ©. GalilĂ©e sâest confrontĂ© Ă un impossible : prouver que le visible (lâapparente rotation du soleil autour de la Terre) Ă©tait erronĂ©, contrevenant au credo religieux dominant de son Ă©poque. Changement de paradigme trop fort, vertigineux mĂȘme. En 1633, menacĂ© de torture, il abjure. Et pourtant, quelles que soient nos visions du monde, nos attachements, nos choix⊠Comme le mettait dĂ©jĂ en Ă©vidence lâAstronomie Populaire de Camille Flammarion (1879), la Terre est destinĂ©e Ă disparaĂźtre.
Câest la Terre qui aura raison de nous et non lâinverse.
Ce livre dâartiste interroge la vision nombriliste et court-termiste de lâhomme vis-Ă -vis de son environnement, partant, de son destin. David Bart apprĂ©hende lâespace et le temps dans leurs dimensions symbolique et expĂ©rimentale. Une prĂ©sence/absence suggĂ©rĂ©e dans les matiĂšres, sable noir, mousse, pierres volcaniques, souffre, et leur contrepoint, le suspens, le flou, lâintangible⊠En recontextualisant les illustrations de lâAstronomie Populaire dans des environnements et des temporalitĂ©s rĂ©elles, contemporaines, il tĂ©moigne dâune mĂ©tamorphose singuliĂšre : celle du paysage en signe.
Iceland, the “land of ice” torn by the mid-Atlantic ridge, the Eurasian and American tectonic plates border. The Earth is in its primordial state, made of glaciers and volcanoes. Untouched, rough, wild, landscapes are an invitation to humility. The human foot is fleeting: a few remnants remain, such aircraft stranded on the beach, unexpected archaeological treasure. And at the distance, blurred evanescent bodies.
Geocentric and anthropocentric visions have long coexisted. Galileo was facing an impossible task: to prove that the visible (the apparent rotation of the sun around the Earth) was a mistake, contrary to the predominant religious belief. The paradigm shift was too strong, even dizzying. In 1633, threatened with torture, he abjured. Yet whatever our worldviews, our attachments, our choices⊠as the Popular Astronomy by Camille Flammarion (1879), demonstrated, the Earth is destined to disappear. It is the Earth that will defeat us and not the other way round.
This artbook questions manâs parochial vision and short-term approach vis-Ă -vis his environment, hence his destiny. David Bart apprehends space and time in their symbolic and experimental dimensions. A presence / absence suggested through materials, black sand, foam, volcanic stones, sulfur, as well as suspension, blur, intangibility⊠In recontextualizing The Popular Astronomy illustrations in real, contemporary environments and time frames, he reveals a singular metamorphosis: that of landscape turning into sign.
This soundtrack was jointly created with the book ABJURE, adding an audio dimension to the visuals. It was composed in part using sounds collected in Iceland.
Music : David Bart and Sagittarius A*
Mixage: Fréderic D.Oberland at Magnum Diva
Mastering: James Plotkin


