Myriam Laplante

Work for Live Art Denmark
2015: “The Phenomenology of Doubt” and group performance with Black Market International at Kulstof 15

The Phenomenology of Doubt
Myriam performs in front of a blackboard with a piece of chalk attached to its center with a piece of string. She writes the word “doubt” in the highest point the chalk will reach, followed by “art” and “universe” in the lower left and right segments, roughly where the 4 and 8 would be on the face of a clock. She then completes the circle until it reads “the phenomenology of doubt in the post-material universe of contemporary performance art through the study of …”. Of course, you could start reading in any other place, like: “doubt in the post-material universe of contemporary performance art through the study of the phenomenology of …”. After overwriting her letters several times around the circle she turns away, quietly muttering “etcetera, etcetera, etcetera …”. The audience laughs. To illustrate her point, Myriam carefully balances a bouquet of yellow roses in a glass vase on her head, or at least she seems to do that. But she moves a little too freely. Ending her performance, Myriam takes a bow, while the vase and flowers remain suspended, weightlessly, in mid air, and the audience is left doubting what they just saw.

Black Market International
Myriam also performed with the legendary performance association Black Market International. A movie about the festival with long excerpts from this exceptional group performance and statements from the performers can be seen here.

About the Artist
Myriam Laplante is a Canadian artist born in Bangladesh, now based in Bevagna, Italy. She works in performance, installation, video, painting, sculpture, drawings, etc.

Her works have been presented extensively from squats to museums in Europe, North America, and Asia. She has been working with the performance collective Black Market International since 2001.

More about her work on her website.