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The book of Origins
International Exhibition
of contemporary design bindings
Cathy Adelman
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Eric Alstrom
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Michèle Amiot
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Françoise Beaulieu
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Christiane-Marie Bès
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Françoise Biéri-Jama
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Marlyn Bonaventure
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Christiane Bour
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Myriam Buecher-Pepino
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Ghislaine Bureau
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Michelle Castellan
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Isabelle Chasse
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Joan M. Collins
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Hélène Delprat
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Jean Des Lierres
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Odette Drapeau
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Laurence B. Duffar
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Nadime Dumain
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Monique Dupuis
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Michèle Forget
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Hélène Francoeur
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Keiko Fujii
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Lisette Gaucher
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Wilfredo A. Geigel
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Corinne Germez-LeRebeller
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Emmanuel Guesquière
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Nicole Renée Guesquière
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Monique Gosselin
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Philip Gremaud
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Karen Hanmer
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PerAnders Hübner
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Hélène Jolis
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Scott Kellar
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Monique Lallier
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Jacqueline Lellouche
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Martine Lemay
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Catherine Lévèque
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Christiane Mairesse
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Michel Marchesseau
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Aline Mauger
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Louise Mauger
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Raquel Minteguia
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Lucie Morin
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Stephen Murphy
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Antonio Perez Noriega
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Adda Papadopoulos
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Isabelle Poitras
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Sylvie Richard
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Daniel Rieu
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Carlos
Sanchez-Álamo
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Anne-Marie Saint-Onge
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Marie Johanne
Senécal
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Karydomatis
Stathis
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Alain Taral
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Kaarina Tienhaara
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Evelyne
Toulotte
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Jonathan
Tremblay
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Gerritt
Vanderwerker
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Véronique Van
Mol
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Peter D. Verheyen
| Céline Vincent
The
beginning
The Livre des origines exhibit has been in the works for more
than three years. At first, it was only an idea discussed at
the meetings of Les Amis de la Reliure d'Art du Canada. As a
complement to our regular activities, we wanted a memorable
event, one that would go beyond the Canadian and North
American borders, one that would make cultural treatment,
decor and material use differences stand out. This ambitious
project required a sufficient number of participants from
different countries so that their training, techniques and
sensitivity would be quite distinct.
We are overjoyed to have brought this undertaking to term
given the beauty and the quality of the work received. The "Amerindianess",
as we call it in Quebec, gives rise to very mixed
interpretations in the media. It is considered as a guardian
of forgotten knowledge, of sensitivity towards nature, towards
Gaia, that continuously questions the runaway consumerism and
urban development practiced by many.
What held the attention of the art binders was the unique
character of the Huron Nation, which, let us not forget, is
upstream of all that took place in America. Its influence on
our knowledge and our interests is far from negligible,
notwithstanding that part of their blood also flows in our
veins.
To our knowledge, only one Amerindian bookbinder is registered
in our exhibition. This means that we must look at it from an
"outsider's" point of view. André Ricard himself, author of
the Livre des origines, is a Quebecker of French descent; his
interpretation can therefore not be entirely free from myth
and fiction. It contains however all we need to ponder: an
open point of view, a thought yet to be fully formed and a
vague mixed colour that allows the binders free reign to be
imaginative and creative.
Ricard has found the right words to translate a part of the
Amerindian reality. He has not said everything, but his
comments are thought provoking. However, even by using
colourful language and metaphors, the logos cannot say
everything and a body, a decor, textures and colours had to be
added to convey a quality of perceived sentiment from one book
to the other. An image stands out; this is not surprising as
it is marked by "rusticity", "simplicity", "asperity" and "minimalism".
There are however few concessions to clichés, as the
techniques utilised are very modern and often innovative.
Those who believe there is no Amerindianess in the words and
the objects made by our non-Indian artists are wrong. In fact,
nothing can be fixed in our memories without passing through
the relay of thought and sensibility. Thus there can be much
truth in the Livre des origines exhibit, that of the Huron
People as seen by "others". I congratulate all participants
that have generously lent us the fruit of their reflection and
serious work on the subject we proposed.
The Author
From the stage to the written word
By the time he was 67 years old, André Ricard had greatly
contributed to the life of the arts in the Quebec City and
Montreal regions. Between 1957 and 1968, he acquired a
university education in letters at Laval University, which he
combined with studies at the Quebec Performing Arts
Conservatory, where he confirmed his taste for the theatre. He
established himself by founding and directing the L'Estoc
Theatre, where he was stage director and scriptwriter. He then
became a scriptwriter and broadcasting director for Radio
Canada radio and television and for Radio-Québec television.
He produced fiction films all while teaching at the University
and the Conservatory. In the mid-70s, he decided to spend more
time writing and producing, which earned him many
distinctions.
Concerned with current events and social issues, he often
delves into history and geography to find out what makes us
what we are. His interpretation has led to several radio and
television plays, two poetic suites and a short fiction book.
It is however through the theatre that his work influenced the
public and the critics. He wrote several works, namely: La vie
exemplaire d'Alcide 1er le pharamineux et de sa proche
descendance, in 1971, Silence ou je fais évacuer la salle, in
1979, Le tir à blanc, in 1982, and Champs de glace, in 1997.
He was favourably considered by the Théâtre du Trident, the
National Arts, the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, and the Café de
la Place. He also spent much time translating drama texts,
along with his activities as cultural activities organizer. He
is currently General Secretary for the Académie des lettres du
Québec.
From a Huron legend collected by the internationally renowned
Marius Barbeau, he has prepared a tale very much in tune with
the values and the vision of the Amerindian world, but from
one point of view of all of humanity.
the
illustrator
An enlightened path
Carmelle Martineau did not become an artist in the traditional
way; she became an artist because of a pressing need to
express what she felt and, as she creates, she can better
express herself. ARA-Canada largely benefits from this
leveraging effect. The publication of the Livre des origines
contains original lithographic prints from the Les Tailleurs
d'images studio, which she founded in Quebec in 1995.
Born in Quebec City in 1952, she grew up there and developed a
very special vision of nature and man that she reworks and
renews as she observes and experiments. She is a modern artist
who changes rapidly and who, in spite of a few basic
preferences, often adapts to new materials and techniques. In
the Conseil des métiers d'art de Québec teacher's directory,
she states that: "Since 1985, [my] practice centres on prints,
more specifically stone prints." But she also says that: "Thanks
to various training workshops and exchanges [I] have acquired
an expertise in image transfer processes: a method that can be
adapted to different surfaces and uses in arts and art crafts."
She obtained a bachelor degree in Fine Arts from Laval
University in 1985 and has completed her studies in other ways
during the last two decades. She studied at the Atelier Graff
in Montreal, the Malapina Printshop in Vancouver, the Pons and
La Bête à cornes studios in Paris, the Open Studio in Toronto,
the Imago in Moncton, New Brunswick, and the Centre de
formation et de consultation en métiers d'arts du Québec. In
her native city, she has been a member of Videre, of the
Engramme studio and of the Conseil des arts textiles du
Québec. She currently works as an artist's photographer and as
a Fine Arts teacher. She has held 13 solo exhibitions in
Quebec and in Canada and has taken part in about fifty
collective expositions, including eight international
biennials.
Her perceptiveness is therefore the fruit of hard work. The
compositions she designed for the Livre des origines serve as
a counterpoint to André Ricard's poetry and set out guidelines
for the binders. They are not restrictive as they are mainly
non figurative, but they create an atmosphere that invites a
psychological, physical and temporal regression. Carmelle
Martineau nevertheless proposes a thoroughly modern look of
humanity, which well translates the conditions of today's
Amerindians.
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