ALAIN JERAMA

Essence of Thought

I started with an observation:

First, writing drives sense, permits communication, and transmits knowledge;

 Second, the underlying interpretation of any text depends heavily on the context;

 Third, the visual materiality of a work is not limited to its first appearance, it inevitably integrates the parameters of its conception, be they technical, intellectual, or even intuitive.

 In these circumstances, it can be pertinent to reason:  individual reason sublimating itself for a greater number.

 Questioning leads to gaining a consciousness that takes a narrow view of things.

Nothing moralist, nothing idealist, but a simple wrenching in the heart of our certainty.

 My approach questions established values, by proposing a reading of willful appropriation.

To explain concisely, we are surrounded by codes which allow us to communicate and evolve; writing is one of them!

 I doubt absolute truth and prefer, by far, the random reality of everyday life.

I work to propose an image that directly obliges the viewer to interpret it.  

The text exists, the contents are known, but the visual expresses an incomprehension.  The work encompasses diverse parameters: texture, dynamic, hearing and repetition.

I limit myself to producing a continuous line, stemming from the heart of will, as we are what we wish to be - even if we cannot overcome the environment.

Every work of art holds within itself a certain aesthetic, be it desired or de facto; the notion of “beautiful” encompasses each person's interpretation.

I work with the reality of what is nonsensical.  Color, materials, medium, as well as application are all elements revealing an independence of spirit.

The essential is only perceived if we linger; little by little, we forget one signification to discover the possibility of another.

My work, as a challenge to plastic evidence and a receptacle for constructive doubt, presents the absurdity of any affirmation, so that a multitude of questions may blossom.

I remain persuaded that every act has its own pertinence.

 Artists have the duty to act without restraint and without complaisance because their work is the reflection of their reality:  a parallel world whose only demand is to communicate to be understood. 

Artistic Journey

Over of course of more than twenty years of working, I have been interested in humankind.

 I needed a means of expression to convey its fragility and its force the most faithfully.

 After multiple obvious - thus vain - attempts, I got snapped up by the text: without completely breaking away from tradition, but carrying along a reading which brought me sufficient enough elements to build a world where nonsense made sense.

 I began with texts from magazines, or diverse press articles that I reworked to give new life. But after a few years, I was always creating one-of-a-kind paintings and this distension with my perception of life began weighing on me.

But after few years, I only created single works and the distance between them and my perception of life started to be heavy.

Therefore, I wanted more global works, where finiteness would have no value: a work could coherently follow, complete itself, swell in its own multitude.

 The ensemble of my work revolves around the Bible, a text which does not belong to me, but becomes a work I and of itself though plastic application.

I integrate diverse techniques to explore rhythm, time, and space.

Only a determined ensemble can constitute unity.

The choice of works which will create the exhibition remain most subjective because there are numerous possibilities for presenting an ensemble and the produced effect depends on an intention which essentially remains temporarily arbitrary.

My work is a visual proposal of an hypothetical alternative. I adapt a reality to offer a possible. Content remains but the general shape moves, slides to the limit of understanding.

Since 1999, I recopy, among others, word for word the Bible on different media (paper, canvas, methacrylate, wood, etc.) using different techniques.

 The ensemble is currently composed of 4 parts:

         1/ The New Testament

        2/ The Old Testament

        3/ The 10 Commandments

         4/ “The Adaptive Creations”

 The first part “The New Testament” is made of an original and 12 numbered and signed copies.

The original is made on 290 sheets of standard machine paper, in felt-tip ink.

The New Testament is recopied word-for-word in French, but the letters are every which way, one after the other. There is no punctuation and the scratches are writing errors, accidents contributing to the rhythm of the page.

 Some sheets are illustrated with line-themed drawings:  a continuous line starting from a cross and ending with an arrow.

Two binders placed in a wooden box contain the ensemble.

Each of the 12 copies is composed of:

 -      a copy of the original text, with each page numbered and signed on the back;

2 binders, with a unitary painted cover, where the 290 copied sheets are classed in chronological order, and inserted in transparent plastic sheet protectors;

-      a wooden box, containing the two binders, with a sliding, Plexiglas cover, On the side, the names of the 12 Apostles, the number of the example, and the signature are engraved using pyrography.

-      12 digital photo frames scroll through all 290 pages at staggered intervals, with each diffusing a different sound.

Concerning these 12 sounds half comes from common object recordings and the other half of soundtracks taken on the net.

This package creates a visual and acoustic cacophony where public must look carefully to identify and recognize yet what is familiar.

Presentation of the ensemble:

Its presentation is variable; it may take on different forms depending on the place, space and will of the moment.

The objective is not to propose a static visual hung up or placed in a gallery X or Y. My goal is to create an atmosphere where the visitor comes to a world that it recognizes, identifies without problems but whose codes are slightly moved, shifted, noises accompany texts and light also contributed to the general mood. 

-      that of the pages is conceived starting from photocopies made from them, which are then stapled directly to the wall. The dimensions of the installation vary, depending on the number of elements we wish to show. They simply give the visual to a subjective proposition in a determined place;

-      the 12 frames are presented against a wall;

-      the box containing the two binders is placed on a white painted pedestal in the center of the room.

 Ordinary copies of the 290 pages, stapled on the wall, thus form part of installation which offers furthermore, 12 digital picture frames fixed to the wall, scrolling through all the pages, looping back and offsetting. Each frame has its own sound to create a hubbub where the spectator is obliged to move towards more closely to define its origin and its characteristic but, at this time, is the image loses... 

The second part “The Old Testament” is made using different mediums and several   techniques.

The dimension of each element may vary.

In the same fashion as for the previous part, I recopy The Old Testament word-for-word.

Each work is numbered chronologically, but their presentation does not take that into consideration, only the formats matter in this study.

I use formats that allow me to present the work as a real installation; I am not concerned with the execution date of the works but simply with the link. Example: we can hang on a wall a set of 50 paintings of 40 x 50 cm. with a 5 cm gap. between each (10 aligned horizontally, 5 vertically), there is thus a 4.45 m. wide and 2.70 m high visual unit.

The third part “The 10 Commandments”: I recompose a commandment using all of the letters which compose it and assemble them randomly. The letters are made in 3 dimensions using diverse materials; they may be attached to each other or simply placed according to whim.

The number of letters corresponds exactly with the text but its random assembly prohibits reading it, at least its basic sense.

Example: the 6^th Commandment

Each letter is made from synthetic foam (approximately 80 x 100 x 15cm). They are then placed one-by-one without taking their ordinary reading order into consideration, simply par the malleable whim of the moment; the ensemble creates a temporary volume which remains subjective.

The fourth part, “The Adaptive Creations”: I realize a work in accordance with a text suggested to me by the environment.

Thus, the work takes into consideration the place, spirit, and function that its placement must exteriorize. The texture, color, and dimension, as well as its positioning remains a unique proposal which systematically includes my interpretation and that of the spectator.

The contents are identifiable, but its reading, impossible. This allows me to propose a redefinition of our codes beyond a more-or-less aesthetic, plastic appearance, allowing—I hope—a greater number of people to approach contemporary art with interest.

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Alain Jérama  , France