Dpt. x Laurent Craste – Parade

For two days in 2015, Chromatic took over the Cité de la Mode et du Design in Paris.

For this special edition, MASSIVart imagined, curated and produced a multidisciplinary exhibition, participative art installations, family art activities, and live music to make art shine in all its forms – visual, sound, physical, interactive or contemplative.

To create the bridge between this Parisian edition and the Montreal origins of Chromatic and MASSIVart, we gathered creators from both continents. Among them, the Montrealers of Dpt. with their experiences that create realities that are engaging and infused with magic and meaning. Their projects have been featured at major events like the Venice Film Festival and SXSW, on streets and in museums around the world.

A magical and interactive art installation, titled Parade, was born out of the collaboration between Dpt. and Canadian French ceramicist artist Laurent Craste.

Inside an imposing wooden cube, a suspended work lamp projects the shadows of two porcelain vases slumped on a pedestal. As soon as someone pushes the light, the shadows come to life as if by magic, moving to the rhythm of the swinging light.

Much like shadow theatre, Parade presents the fantastic spectacle of the vase silhouettes which, in a tragicomedy ballet, try to regain their original form, their past glory.

The installation amazed all viewers who were unable to take their eyes off these hypnotizing shadows.