Roseaux (the French word for reeds) is a particip-active project from the companies Udo and One Touch of Madness (1ToMn) which is currently in Adelaide for Illuminate Adelaide festival within the City Lights free lights program.
We chatted with Ludovic Lefévère about his light and particip-active projects, their reative process, the environmental considerations and much more.
Ludovic, lets start by talking about you. You’re the founder, creative director and DPLG architect at Udo. When and why did you set up Udo?
Well, I set up Udo quite simply because, in fact, I wanted to bring to fruition ideas that I had, and it was easier when you’re your own boss to direct a philosophy and a way of doing things, so that’s what motivated me. And I’d already had my own businesses, so I wanted to be independent.
On the Udo website, it says that you have over 23 years’ experience in architecture and lighting projects. How and why did you start this work in the first place?
It all started in France. When I finished my studies, I had my own architecture company because we’d won a competition. But even when I was studying architecture, all the projects I did always involved light, whether natural or artificial. At the time I didn’t really know, but I liked it. I thought it gave a different perception of space. So that’s why I think that, as time went on, I fell more and more into the expression of light and what you can do with it, because there’s something magical about light. So that really suited me. I also really like the nocturnal world.
And did you study lighting?
Yes, afterwards. I started with architecture first. In fact, during my architecture studies, because I was lucky enough to go to three schools that also had courses, I would say, on theoretical lighting, not lighting as I use it today. And then, in fact, when I really specialised in this area, I did a course at the Polytechnique.
Ok. So you’re actually French? Canadian too…
Yes too, but French yes. Canadian too now. But I am in fact French. And I arrived 20 years ago.
And it’s also a project by 1ToMn. It’s your company too. Is it a different company, but the same people?
Yes, in fact, 1ToMn is with my wife. So we’re both co-owners. And so it was really a matter of choice. Everything at Udo was a bit traditional in terms of lighting design. And I wanted something more artistic, more crazy as the name says. So we decided to open a second company that would allow me to keep my clients separate while still being able to do projects that were a bit more out of the box. So that was kind of the idea.
And you have a particip-active installation called Roseaux which is coming to the Illuminate Adelaide festival this July. Tell us a bit about this installation.
In fact, this installation came about, I’d say, a bit by accident. In the sense that at the time, in the early days of One ToMn, we met a client, a big festival organiser in Montreal, who wanted to meet a need he had for a space that was a sort of crossroads. He wanted to direct people and so on, so when we talked to the person in charge at the time of One ToMn’s story where, in fact, they wanted to converge people, give them a bit of fun. Then in fact, I would say quite quickly, it was to have movement, so that people could play together around an installation. But I wanted to have several, as I would say, small hubs and so on. And that’s how Roseaux came about.
So to have a call, a call from afar, a bit like a lighthouse, to see this majestic side when it moves and to have this particip-active side, in other words to have something to do and to have a reward. So that’s the idea behind Roseaux.
But when you say it moves, is it the lights that move or is it the structure as well?
It’s because, in fact, in the first version of Roseaux, we had a base that moved, so it was a base that did. Now we’ve had a number of issues to deal with, in terms of the public and safety, which have meant that we’ve managed to create a base that’s, I’d say, fixed. And it’s when people move on it, that we tried to recreate that so that the light would be infused, so that it would always be the calling. And then when people move, it’s the accumulation of energy that creates the lighting effects.
And what is the design and production process for your installations?
In fact, the process we’re talking about is at the design level, I’d even say before ideation. It really starts from all sides. I have ideas that I jot down, sketches where it’s often words and sensations. And in fact, I’m someone who loves everything kinetic, so such and such movement relates the body to perception and effect. It comes from the architecture anyway. It’s how our body will move in space and space if it were to move, how the body perceives that. Then I’m talking about the physical body, but I’m also talking about the head and so on.
So every idea that comes to me, in general, there’s always a movement, there’s always a transformation in fact, an action, a reaction. Because what we’re trying to do with everything that’s participatory, and here I’m going to include the team, is to make it a priority for people to feel rewarded, because I’ve also got a thing for interactivity. And I’ve also had experiences with certain artistic installations, not necessarily in the public domain, where I used to rack my brains to find out how things worked. And then, at some point, I felt like an idiot because I couldn’t find it, where I had to read it and so on. But that’s what I said to myself, never. For me, if I suggest something, the person on an intuitive level, sometimes there are subtleties, but the person has to feel valued.
So that’s why in active participation, it’s very important for us to have a reaction. Then sometimes we try to create a challenge so that people who say ‘OK, we had fun’, and then there are those who are a bit more competitive. So that’s what we’re trying to achieve with the new installations.
Do you know the game that has a bit of a cult following in Asia? It’s a dance game where everyone.
Yes!!!
Have you perhaps been inspired by that?
No because as I was explaining before, it’s the technical challenge that led us to rethink the way of living interactivity. No, and then that has existing but it’s simply that we had a number of issues, and then at one point it was decided that if the work was to be easy to use and viable, it had to be made fixed.
So we really had to rethink how to capture people. There are handles, they’re going to hold on, but they’re not going to hold on for the sake of holding on. So we had to rethink, but it’s true that I love images. I love the image because I can see the game. There’s something like that.
I don’t know if you’ve taken this installation to Asia, because I think it would be very, very popular there.
Yes, I can imagine! And then there’s the competitive side, which I think would really get on board because, in fact, if you can take several Roseaux and, depending on how you increase the intensity, you can really create a competition between several people, so it’s not bad at all.
Does your company produce the structures and lighting, or do you have the idea and someone else makes it?
So, in fact, we’re producers, which means that we think up the idea, we design it – well, we conceptualise it, we develop it and then we follow it through to production. And increasingly, on new projects, we’re really even involved in deliveries, purchasing materials and so on. So more and more of our work is done on a turnkey basis.
So it’s a collaboration between Udo and One ToM Design, but also Serge Maheu. Who is Serge Maheu?
In fact, he’s a Creos collaborator who specialises in interactivity. He knows lighting programming, so Creos asked him to help us with production at that level, with programming and so on.
So Creos is a company that organises tours of installations like yours. Is that their role?
That’s exactly it, in fact. Creos is a broker, so they’re in charge. They have a certain number of works in their catalogue and they take care of touring them around the world. We’re actually co-owners with them of Roseaux and it was them who produced the work at the very beginning, a couple of years ago.
What colour lights do the Roseaux produce? And why did you choose these colours?
In fact, it creates all the colours because at the end of the installation, the way it works is that there’s a base topped by a stem to create the reed at the base. There’s a circle of light which is actually a colour wheel.
So, depending on what is triggered, when you climb on it, you trigger a colour and the colours regenerate. So depending on what is triggered, we’re going to play with, I’d say, a family of colours, because there’s a relationship between the colours. And as soon as it’s finished, another one will be triggered.
So it’s a series.
Ah yes.
And what do you hope to communicate to the public with Roseaux?
In fact, it’s often more or less the same basic aim, which is to give them a sense of fun and wonder. In fact, the particip-active approach has arrived, which means saying ‘we want people to take part in an activity’. Ideally, if they can move around and it gives them an endorphin release, something to really feel, emotionally, it’s a great thing.
There are installations we’ve done where it’s more about wonder and surprise, and there are others where it’s really about moving and saying ‘wow, I’ve done that’ or ‘you know, I’ve managed to do this’. So yes, it’s really about capturing a smile, capturing an emotion, that’s why we do it, in fact, in all the sequences where it’s the base. And that, even with lighting design, is to get people out of their daily routine.
It’s entertainment, in a way like going to see a film, you go there to experience emotions. I often return to the sense of fun, but it’s all about having fun. So that’s what we do. There are even installations, we work on one where we want to go beyond, not into negative emotions, but into emotions that we wouldn’t necessarily go looking for. But it’s the accumulation of different emotions that makes for a beautiful package.
Is it possible to see the fact that we have to work to make this light as a bit of a dystopia, as if we won’t have any light without being forced to work?
It’s funny because a while ago we were into particip-active, that’s a basic idea, it’s about creating energy, the energy of the body transforming itself. So yes, maybe not for Roseaux, I don’t think that would have been possible, but for other installations where we try to generate light through the movement of the body.
But there’s something a bit dangerous about that: if people can’t do it, they’ll be totally disappointed. And we don’t want that. So you need to have a good recipe, a good balance between the challenge, but also perhaps really having a basic reward. Because people, especially at a festival like this, go there to be amazed, to be surprised. So basically, you have to have something because you don’t want people to be disappointed. And the festival organisers aren’t going to like that. So yes, that’s it, we try to look.
And is there any sound with this installation? And how do you balance the light and sound movement elements?
They are in fact synchronised with the movement and the light. Of course, they are still in resonance, accompanying each other.
And how do you ensure that Roseaux remains accessible and attractive to people of all ages and abilities, whether disabled or not?
Well, the fact that we’ve developed this on a base was in fact one of the elements. For us, the target audience was a bit like for board games, from 4 – 99 years old. But we didn’t stop there. What was important was that we could appeal to all kinds of people. Of course, if there’s a base, you’re on top of it. Honestly, it’s not for a wheelchair, we didn’t look into it at the time. I don’t know if it would have been possible. I suppose with a ramp, but that’s because I’m still thinking about it. I’m not sure there’s room to turn anything around.
But now for able-bodied people: a small child, there’s been some as soon as they can stand up, who can stand on the ramp. Because the sensor system is so simple and visible, we’ve made them visible so that people can position their feet and know that when they move, this is what they get. So a child will very quickly in fact, sometimes even more quickly than adults, understand how it works. And then they’ll play with it. So yes, it’s really aimed at as many people as possible.
And what considerations do you take into account to ensure the durability and sustainability of installations like Roseaux?
In fact, durability is in the materials. There’s the work, the installation as such, that it’s safe, that the materials respect all the mechanical forms and so on. Then there’s durability in terms of the materials we use, so that they don’t break during transport. Since it’s outside, Creos has to do a lot of maintenance, so they keep the works in good repair.
Now, in our experience, we try to have a system that allows us to evolve. So it often depends, because we have ideas, but we don’t always know how they’re going to be received by the public. So you have to be able to evolve in the programming of lighting, in the programming of sound, in the programming of interactivity and in the scripting of all three. Then it happens.
We evolved because at one point it was just too competitive. At the start, the sensors were really the whole colour wheel, so it wasn’t necessarily obvious all the time. Some people missed the point. The fact that we’ve identified it means that people can see that ‘OK, there’s something going on’, so they’re intrigued. So there really is this balance that we’re developing. So yes, you’re looking at sustainability, but after that, it’s really about thinking that the system can evolve over time.
And have you or your lights ever been to Australia ?
No. I’ve had projects there, but unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to go there yet. In fact, at UDO I’m perhaps the one who travels the least. I’ve actually travelled a lot before, but the fact that I’m an entrepreneur, that’s it. Actually, I’ve been everywhere except Oceania. I haven’t been to New Zealand, I haven’t been to Australia.
What are your aspirations for the future of particip-active installations and their impact on public spaces?
As far as the impact is concerned, I see it as being, once again, from my architectural side, but increasingly integrated into the space. Today, the way it works, festivals and so on, it’s a bit like, I shouldn’t say it like this, but fairs where people gather around an event, and then it disappears. So more and more, I’m seeing installations that are integrated into the space for a semi-permanent period of five, ten years and then they’re renewed. I think that’s where it’s going.
For me personally, it’s about taking on more and more challenges. As I was saying, I love anything that moves. And it’s not just the light, it’s really the space, the structure that moves. Yes, I’ve got a couple of them in the pipeline. I can’t wait to present them to the public because I think it’s something that will once again influence perception and evolution. Because I think that on a human level, as we become more and more digital and virtual, we’re going to need a more sensitive bodily relationship, perhaps a stronger one, but that’s my perception, but I’m a firm believer in it.
Why should people come and see Roseaux?
To have fun, to be amazed. It’s one of the few installations with such an immense scale. So the sheer scale alone means that you can try it out on your own or with others. And the fact that it’s part of a festival means that you get to experience different things, so you can appreciate one work even more than the other. I think this festival is fabulous.
I take my hat off to the people who organise it, because it’s so difficult. You have to find works, you have to motivate people to come. On the site, there are issues to respect and so on. I have a lot of admiration for them.
And Australia is a long way away. So transport, because I imagine the installation comes here by boat.
I would think so, because I think there was a time lag between the last location. So I think so. And then in terms of economic cost, that would be more a question for Creos as they’re in charge of the tour. But yes, I suppose that makes more sense than flying. There really has to be a problem with dates and all that because when it travels in North America, it’s by lorry.
Then I see it with different creators like us. There are environmental issues that we can no longer hide, which means that even now we’re looking at sectors that say rather than travel the work, to build it over there, and then it tours over there.
Then, I see it with different creators like us, there are environmental issues, we can no longer hide which means that even now we’re looking for sectors to say rather than have such and such a work travel, have it built over there, then tour it afterwards over there, You know, like you’re like Oceania, Asia, Europe, America in general, by continent, I think it can be seen like that. But you have to, it’s vital.
—
We’d like to thank Ludovic for this interview and encourage you to go and see Roseaux at Illuminate Adelaide before the festival finishes this weekend!
KEY INFO FOR ROSEAUX AT ILLUMINATE ADELAIDE
WHAT: The particip-active installation Roseaux by UDO and 1ToMn, presented by Creos as part of the free City Lights programme.
WHEN: The Roseaux installation will be illuminated every evening until Sunday night.
WHERE: Brookman Lawn on the corner of Frome Street and North Terrace
HOW: Just turn up. It’s open to all and there are no tickets. Find out more about the installations that include City Lights on the Illuminate Adelaide website.
HOW MUCH: It’s free!
Read our other interviews on installations from French and Francophonie companies at the Illuminate Adelaide festival
Gallic and maple leaf magic coming to Illuminate Adelaide 2024
French company Tilt will light up Australia with its floral lights this Winter
Want to see Renaissance paintings come to life? With Grand Mix at Illuminate Adelaide you can!
