intro|
magic mirror is an interactive piece that invites the viewer to explore the cyclical transformation of the landscape. Through interactions with a distance sensor, the viewer can simulate an astral projection of their mind+body through seven planes composed of interactive animations.
The animations are projected in a sculpture in the shape of a stoma, simulating a macroscopic view of the cells of duckweed—a tiny floating plant found on the surface of water bodies around the world, known for its exceptional ability to sense its environment. As a result, duckweed is currently used as a biosensor, and there is a wide range of studies on its potential in areas such as clean energy, water purification, and even as a food source.
The animations depict duckweed in its natural environment on the surface of Lake Hertel in Mont Saint-Hilaire, located on the traditional territory of the Abenaki Nation (Canada). This plant captivated the artist during a year-long residency on art and climate change at the Redpath Museum of Natural History in 2021.
The piece also serves as a repository of geographic data from 2021, drawing from various sources including visualizations from the NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, NASA’s Solar and Earth Observatories, Sentinel Hub satellite imagery, Digital Elevation Models, and specimens from McGill University’s Herbarium, among others.
Ultimately, the piece is an invitation to expand our current frame of observation. In doing so, we might come one step closer to the Symbiocene: an era in which humans (re)integrate with the rest of nature.
Image: Installation view at the exhibition En el filo del Caos II (2023)
Suratómica Art and Science Festival, Bogota - Photo: Lupita Chávez
le miroir magique|
On August 5, 2000, Kees Vanderheyden—then director of the Centre de Conservation de la Nature—published a column on Lake Hertel, weaving together the magical and mystical tales that have long surrounded its waters.
In that article, Mont Saint-Hilaire and its Lac Hertel are depicted as places where imagination takes flight. Locals and visitors alike have long projected myths and mysteries onto the landscape—such as rumors of a monster in the lake, echoing the legend of the Loch Ness. These stories are nourished by unusual events.
Though scientific investigations have revealed only natural elements like plants and old stumps, the absence of clear explanations seems only to deepen the enchantment. The lake, which is isolated and not connected to any rivers, paradoxically teems with fish—prompting imaginative theories about how they got there: ancient seas, birds scattering eggs from afar, and accidental introductions by fishermen.
Ultimately, the column suggests that Lac Hertel acts as a kind of natural mirror—reflecting not just the surrounding beauty but also the inner landscapes of human imagination. It’s a place where mystery persists, inviting each visitor to dream up their own version of reality, mythology, or memory.
Image: drawing for the exhibition we are all here now (2023)
Redpath Museum, Montreal - Photo: Alex Tran
the planes|
The piece contains seven planes composed of interactive animations:
the sculpture|
The sculpture draws inspiration from the form of a stoma, evoking a magnified glimpse into the cellular world of duckweed. In this imagined anatomy, the guard cells have been removed, allowing an opening and closing motion to emerge through a video projection at its core. The piece breathes—oscillating between absence and presence.
It has taken shape in multiple incarnations: the first, equipped with a kinetic system that allows viewers to adjust the sculpture’s height, now resides in the collection of the Redpath Museum. The second—rendered in dry clay—stands as a compacted echo of the original.
exhibitions|
This project was presented as part of the solo exhibition we are all here now at the Redpath Museum, in Montreal, between Jun. 21 and Sep. 2, 2023, and in the Suratómica Art and Science Festival exhibition En el filo del Caos II at the Cinemateca of Bogota, between Nov. 7 and Nov. 12, 2023.
Redpath Museum, Montreal
Suratómica Art and Science Festival, Bogota - Photo: Lupita Chávez
Suratómica Art and Science Festival, Bogota - Photo: Suratómica