What were your intentions for the residency ?

My goal was to finish my album "Ballade pour Gwenaëlle" and to write "Les Fleurs qui Comètent”, a book of poems and watercolors stories related to my album "Ballade pour Gwenaëlle" which I did / succeed during my art residency!

Tell us more about your artistic project.

In June 2022, I was sitting on a bench in the Plains of Abraham, looking for inspiration for my next album when a child came suddenly to give me a dandelion. I took it and thought to myself, "well yes, nature, my field of study, that's exactly who I am as an artist too." Unfortunately, I didn't ask her name. So, I gave her the name Gwenaëlle.

Each song on the album is a flower, and together they form a bouquet that I offer to Gwenaëlle. In the same vein, we often ask ourselves this question; if you had to say something to a younger version of yourself, what would it be? Thus, each song is a story, an advice that I offer to Gwenaëlle. Additionally, in the production, we wish to add sounds of nature such as rain, birdsong, and the sound of people walking, in order to recreate the typical sounds that a flower might hear throughout a day.

The album ends with the songs "Marguerite Yew Wood" and "Violette Yew Wood" which are texts about space and these flowers in question. This leads us to the subject of the new book "Les Fleurs qui comètent" that I am finishing with the graphic designer Marguerite Daas.

Where did you get your inspiration from?

Every morning, I would get up to take a walk near the ocean with Koboy. It was my brainstorming mornings nourished by new ideas for texts, drawings or songs, while "beachcombing".

The idea of comets came to me from the grains of sand and rocks that I found on the beach. Among these, there are crab houses, fishing objects, glass residues that have become precious stones. As if the sky were the sand and each object a star. It is a book that aims to convey the idea that comets are risks and flowers are people. I believe I have wanted to control my future too much, drawn by societal standards. However, the more I am on my spot, the more love I can create around me.

My creative process is somewhat sporadic. I leave all my drawings or music instruments within reach in bright and airy places, to create some natural resonance and excitement. Thus, like cookies in a display case, I take them to see if it passes or fails. Trying to maintain a healthy relationship with my creativity is really important for the authenticity I am looking for.

I believe that the effect of the ocean has had a great impact on me. The gentleness of the waves gives the feeling that everything will be fine and the dynamic of the tides embracing the shore differently each time offers moments for introspection. The fear of missing out does not exist here!

Tell us more on the work you have done as a forestry engineer at The Parcelles.

The goal was to reduce erosion by removing trees too close to the junction point between the wall and the top to let the herbaceous plants take over and reconsolidate the soil. Indeed, the wind on the coast is very strong.

In this way, it reduces the soil density when the trees are shaken. This is comparable to pushing your hand into the sand and then moving it so that the material becomes more malleable by increasing its porosity. I had several beautiful moments alone with the ocean and the forest, which was definitely a good way to recharge my creativity and do more physical and Cartesian work than in my art. I also discovered some added values on the ground, such as sea pepper.