As We Are Blind calculates and interprets these physiological data in real time, transforming them into a unique musical and photographic production.
The spectator places their hand on a sensor that measures their electrodermal activity, an action that maps their emotional state. The collected values, which represent variations unique to each individual, are first converted into an image that reveals their electromagnetic field. Then, these physiological data are analyzed by a computer program capable of transcoding them into a musical score by following pre-established compositional rules. The music generated in this way is transmitted in real time to the mechanical piano located within the installation space. The spectator then hears the notes and sees the keys of the keyboard depress on their own, as if a phantom pianist were performing a melody corresponding to their state of mind.
As We Are Blind aims to establish an intimate and privileged relationship between the individual and technology, making them aware of the quality of their own presence within the work. Here, it is not the music that generates emotions: it is the spectator's emotional state that is the source of the musical corpus.
Born in Quebec, Canada, Véronique Béland has lived in France since 2010, where she graduated from Le Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains (Michael Snow class, 2010-2012). She also holds a Master’s degree in visual and media arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Her artistic practice, which straddles the line between media arts and literature, focuses on phenomena that are elusive at a human scale, in a constant attempt to examine what appears empty in order to reveal its content. Through various translation or transcoding protocols that draw on both the worlds of art and science, her works seek to bridge the gap between the perceptible and the imperceptible, giving rise to a specific form of narrative.
Since 2005, her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Canada, the United States, and Europe (France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Spain, and Portugal). She has also received numerous excellence awards and various research grants. She has led several residency missions and arts and cultural education projects both in France and abroad.
In 2014, she co-authored the book of photographic correspondence "Elles [collectionnent] des mondes" with Catherine Tremblay, published by éditions du Renard. She is also the author of the poetry collection "Le vide de la distance n’est nulle part ailleurs" (2016) and the book "Malgré les collines - égarements cartographiques dont vous êtes le héros" (2017), both published by éditions sun|sun.