The Porteurs series of glass works by Béatrice Balcou.
The Porteurs series, created in 2020 during Béatrice Balcou's residency at the
Centre international de recherche sur le verre et les arts plastiques (CIRVA) in Marseille, is composed of glass batons of two segments: one fluted and kaleidoscopic, the other smoother with a magnifying-glass effect at its tip. Each baton contains residues from an artwork collected from another artist or restorer: iron oxide powder from an ancient mirror, small terracotta fragments from a Nok sculpture, water from a piece by
Ann Veronica Janssens, a paint chip from the reverse of a painting by Pierre Tal Coat, and so on—materials that might at first seem insignificant. These Porteurs can be activated like relay batons, instruments of protest, or tools for speaking. Passed hand to hand, they function as witnesses and are used in spontaneous activations, often outside the institutional museum context. As a counterpoint to the demand for constant availability, the work reveals itself in the immediacy of an unannounced encounter. It is offered in the form of shared responsibility: for its transport, its presence, and the attention it receives.
In performances, sculptures and installations Béatrice Balcou (born 1976 in France, lives and works in Brussels) creates situations offering innovative exhibition rituals that challenge our way of looking at and perceiving objects—especially works of art. Homing in on attentiveness to the materiality of the artwork and the behaviour of the viewer, she investigates the perceived value of art and the role assigned to it by our contemporary lifestyles.
