"Aria's Equivalent Showcased at Darling Foundry"
In a world where churches may fall silent, their grand instruments continue to echo with a different symphony. One such instrument is the Casavant organ, rescued from obscurity by conceptual artist Maggy Hamel-Metsos. Determined as ever, she dismantled the organ and kept its pipes, pivotal components for her thought-provoking exhibition Simile Aria.
Featuring in the main hall of the Fonderie Darling, Simile Aria stands as one of Hamel-Metsos's most ambitious projects, showcasing her unique artistic vision. Born in '97, she's already gaining recognition for her intriguing and mysterious installations. Represented by Eli Kerr, she's amassed an impressive string of solo exhibitions in just four years.
The exhibit, replete with intrigue, challenges lifelessness and dramatics. Hamel-Metsos draws on history, science, and technology to cultivate a riveting contrast between life and death, the intimate, and the spectacular. She experiments with various artistic mediums, including sculpture, music, photography, and literature, often collaborating with other creatives.
Of her installations, two take center stage in Simile Aria: a sound installation and a solar one. The more visually striking sound installation plays with anthropomorphism, transforming the organ pipes into seven distinct "musicians" perched on structures suspended from the ceiling. Harnessed by red cables that connect them to the air compressors on the ground, the mechanical lungs of these unusual septet have an industrial charm to them.
The silent yet imposing installation is visually enticing, with compressors forming the backbone of its design. Initially, the compressors emit a noisy roar, drowning conversations and demanding attention. Once the air funnels to the organ pipes, the engine stills, and a surprisingly minimalistic, monophonic melody emerges. Titled Symphony for Casavant opus 2586 and seven air compressors, this composition is the essence of self-expression – a primal, universal, and liberating cry.
The subtle yet complex solar installation, on the other hand, is almost imperceptible. It consists of only two elements: a device with a mirror and one with lenses. After meticulously evaluating the positioning of the mirror, the distance of the lenses, and the hours of sunlight, Hamel-Metsos sets up a process that burns two small photographs. The installation, much like a Greek tragedy, rebirth, destruction and repetition woven together. It echoes with the plight of divas who sacrificed themselves to the spotlight, much like Maria Callas and Amy Winehouse did.
Simile Aria defies the end, the silence. Inaudible in images, tears and melodies eventually resurface in new sounds, born from new breaths, in a unique fusion of industrial machines and church organ. The libretto accompanying the score, written by Justin Leduc-Frenette, adds to the depth of this interplay between the audible and inaudible, the visible and invisible.
- Maggy Hamel-Metsos, the artist behind the thought-provoking exhibition Simile Aria, is known for her unique vision in areas such as music, sculpture, photography, and literature.
- In Simile Aria, Hamel-Metsos showcases her creativity through two installations: a sound installation featuring organ pipes transformed into musicians, and a solar installation consisting of a device with a mirror and one with lenses.
- The sound installation in Simile Aria presents an unusual septet of mechanical musicians, connected by red cables to air compressors on the ground, creating a primal, universal, and liberating melody that emerges from the silence.
- The solar installation in Simile Aria, reminiscent of a Greek tragedy, burns two small photographs, symbolizingrebirth, destruction, and repetition, echoing the plight of divas like Maria Callas and Amy Winehouse.
