With a nod to Georges Perec's masterpiece La Vie, mode d'emploi, whose main narrative adopts the mode of description as the point of departure for the narrative, this exhibition looks at the so-called 'protocol' works that have permeated contemporary art from the 1960s to the present day. Challenging notions of authorship, originality and durability, protocol-based works embody a radically new way of thinking about the work of art, which this exhibition invites visitors to discover and experiment with.
A work with a protocol manifests itself from a statement formulated by the artist, a kind of instruction manual that describes the conditions of its appearance. Based on the instructions given (written, oral or drawn), the work can be materialised for the duration of its exhibition. This creative model, whose origins are attributed to Marcel Duchamp and László Moholy-Nagy, developed from the 1960s onwards. It marked the affirmation of a new concept of the work of art, which went from being autographed (by the hand of) to being allographed, meaning that the work was activated by someone other than the artist.
Works by Alice Aycock, Robert Barry, George Brecht, Esther Ferrer, Dora García, Hans Haacke, Florence Jung, Kapwani Kiwanga, Louise Lawler, Vera Molnár, Yoko Ono, Claude Rutault, Lawrence Weiner and Ian Wilson, among others, are displayed in the exhibition space alongside documents and archives tracing the history of protocol in the visual arts, music and design.
Designed as part of an eco-responsible approach, "mode d'emploi" is an exhibition with no transport of works and a recycled scenography. Conceived as a lively, collaborative project, it calls on the public and a host of partners and accomplices, including the Musée national d'art moderne - Centre Pompidou, HEAR and CEAAC.
Curators: Philippe Bettinelli, curator in the New Media Department of the Musée national d'art moderne - Centre Pompidou, Anna Millers, curator in charge of contemporary art at the Musée d'Art moderne et contemporain de Strasbourg.
As part of Strasbourg's role as UNESCO World Book Capital 2024.
In partnership with Musée national d'art moderne - Centre Pompidou, 49 Nord 6 Est - Frac Lorraine, Festival Musica and the CEEAC
