La Chambre à Air
Post-netcrash Sink and Float
Artist: Xavier Faltot
Residency dates: July 31 to August 8
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Since 2008, Xavier Faltot has been running live street post-crash radio performance shows “ La Chambre à Air ” in open air, on the streets, museums and squats in Paris and abroad (Tunis, Montreal). La Chambre à Air means inner tube in French, but it also implies a room, a place full of air. Taken the inner tubes from the big trucks, he has made more than 100 shows with more than 2000 people involved that include experts, scholars, kids, officials, professionals, artists, musicians and the public who are present during the more than 600 hours of shows. “La Chambre à Air ” positions its scenario in post-crash where one encounters a broken society in which the community of citizens are asked to take a seat over the inner tubes, to pause oneself and think about what’s to come and how to cope with the break-down. Acting as host for the radio shows, Faltot passes the microphones to the people and encouraging their active participation in speaking out about their daily realities and uncovering the solutions that already exist.
During his Eleonore artist residency, Faltot proposes to build a floating structure made out of 4 or more inner tubes, ranging from 1.5m to 2.2m diameter, as a radioactive raft for “SINK & FLOAT” project. The inner tubes equipped with mini-radio transmitters, microphones, antennas, raspberry pi , batteries are each an autonomous radio transmitting unit. Floating down the Danube river, the inner tubes transmits it’s own sympathetic chaos, making a poetic gesture that signals ‘radio waves transport and savebv people.” La Chambre à Air rides the shock wave down the streams.