PLEASE TOUCHFirst monograph by Milène Guermont

Technical Description

• Dimensions: 25 x 32 x 3.5 cm
• 340 pages
• 540 illustrations
• Weight: 2.3 kg
• Offset four-color printing + Pantone gold
• Hardcover with matte varnish
• Fedrigoni's Arena HD Extra White 140-gram paper for interior pages
• 500 copies

Intention of this book-object

• The form of this book-object aims to highlight key elements of the artist's approach.
• 3 colors dominate the cover, representing the 3 artistic periods of the 20 years of creation covered by this first monograph.
• The cover invites the reader to touch it with the inscription "Please Touch."
• The dimensions evoke the classical A4 format, the commonplace, like concrete, one of the most produced materials in the world and the artist's first favorite medium.
• When you open this book-object, it surprises by spreading out over more than 60 cm, just as Polysensual Concrete artworks amaze by singing when touched.
• The artist's work is an invitation to travel, this book is made up of pages homothetic to classic postcards.
• The first pages introduce the artist's approach as "tactile & conceptual." Next comes the table of contents, a preface by the director of a Parisian museum, a foreword by an art historian, and 5 chapters.
• The number of each book-object, which is a limited edition of 500 copies, and the signature can be applied manually by the artist.

What you will discover there

• Preface — The preface is written by Ophélie Ferlier Bouat, Director of the museum Le Petit Palais, Chief Heritage Curator. It positions the artist's work within the history of art, notably sculpture.
• Foreword — The foreword is signed by art historian Paul Ardenne. He describes Milène Guermont as a "polysensitive" artist who seeks to raise public awareness of sensations and to make them a shared living space.
• Ardenne underlines Milène Guermont's double role as a visual artist and engineer, combining modern technologies with poetic imagination.
• The foreword highlights synesthesia, sensory and intellectual experiences as the artist's starting points.
• Guermont's philosophy, as described by Ardenne, aims to increase the territory of fine, sought-after, subtle, and unnoticed sensations.
• He also mentions the importance of the "sensitive concrete" cycle in Guermont's work and her attention to flows of sensitivity, illustrated by her monumental creation PHARES and the total artwork MAISON GUERMONT.
• Chapter 1: Genesis — This chapter explores the origins of Milène Guermont's artistic approach. It traces her journey from her childhood in Normandy, and her interest in art and science, to her first artistic experiments.
• Chapter 2: Artistic Approach & Key Stages — This chapter is divided into four sections presenting the different facets of Milène Guermont's approach.
• Section 1: "The first boundaries around oneself: walls, I transform them into openings." This section focuses on Guermont's work with walls, which she transforms into openings and explores as supports for messages and emotions. It discusses the use of concrete as an artistic medium, particularly new generation ultra-high performance concretes, and the artist's desire to push them to their structural and plastic limits. This section also describes techniques invented by Milène Guermont, such as Colored Engraving on concrete and Craters Concrete. The use of body imprints in her paper works and the double loop of her signature are also mentioned.
• Section 2: "Light and digital tools allow me to transcend matter." This section explores how Guermont uses light and digital tools to transcend matter and create immersive and interactive works. It highlights the use of feathers, light projections, and sounds to create a complete sensory experience. This section also discusses the BARRE artistic performance presented during Nuit Blanche in 2014.
• Section 3: "I explore spatial limits with works spread over hundreds of kilometers." This section presents Guermont's monumental works that go beyond the confines of museums and galleries. It highlights PHARES installed on the Place de la Concorde, which dialogues with the Luxor Obelisk and uses light as a symbol of hope and connection. The UN BATTEMENT performance, which connects PHARES with the Eiffel Tower and the Montparnasse Tower, is also described. This section also discusses PYRAMIDIONS, an interactive installation that links France and Great Britain, symbolizing the human at the heart of the work.
• Section 4: "After the monumental, I explore other limits, those of intimacy with MAISON GUERMONT." This section presents MAISON GUERMONT, Milène Guermont's total artwork, in which each element of the living space is designed as a work of art. It highlights the transformation of a dilapidated travel agency into an innovative sculpture-home. This section describes the trichromatic color scheme (gold, white, Bleu Ciel De Paris) and the interplay of three shapes (pyramid, cloud, madeleine) that structure the space. It emphasizes the "habitable" aspect of the work and highlights the fusion between the artist's life and work.
• Chapter 3: 3 Artistic Periods — This chapter presents a selection of postcards of works classified into three artistic periods: gray/concrete, gold/pyramid, and Bleu Ciel De Paris/total art. Each postcard is accompanied by art critiques, photos of the creative process, and anecdotes that shed light on Milène Guermont's work.
• Chapter 4: Last Words — This chapter includes, among other things, acknowledgments and photos of laughter during the creation of the works.
• Chapter 5: Biography — The monograph concludes with biographical milestones of the artist, a selection of distinctions, exhibitions, and a bibliography.
• In short, Milène Guermont's monograph retraces more than 20 years of creation and offers a comprehensive overview of her artistic approach. It highlights the importance of touch, interactivity, the dialogue between art and science, as well as her vision of art without limits.

L'ours

• Editorial direction: Aline Chabreuil
• Artistic direction: Milène Guermont
• Layout: Raphaëlle Mancel, Valeria Vega Gutiérrez
• Proofreading: Pierre Naquin, Muriel Carbonnet-Villenave
• Translation: Michaël Strauss
• Photoengraving: Les Caméléons
• Publishing: Art Society Editions
• ISBN: 978-2-9572397-7-1
• Authors: Paul Ardenne, Annette Ardisson, Ehab Badawy, Marie-Clémence Barbé Conti, Patrick Baudry, Edward Bosley, Émilie Bouvard, Béatrice Bouvier, Jean-Louis Cohen, Pierre Cornette de Saint-Cyr, Vincent Delaury, Chris Dercon, John Dudley, Ophélie Ferlier Bouat, Vincent Fournout, Jean-Jacques Gay, Véronique Godé, Francis Gouge, Milène Guermont, Gail Harrity, Marc Lenot, Anne-Marie Morice, Alain Niderlinder, Claude Parent, Sophie Radix, Gaëlle Rio, Bruno Robert, Yves Sabourin, Marion Vignal, Jean-Paul Viguier

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First monograph by Milène Guermont

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