After their long summer hiatus, SBC Galerie d’art contemporain have opened their doors again, and it was worth the wait. Make sure to check out the exhibition La Clef by Lyne Lapointe.

On display are four of seven panels from Lapointe’s La Clef series, each featuring a musical instrument: a mandolin, a zither, a rain stick, and an accordeon placed on a chair. There’s a central “control panel” from which wires run to each of the four instruments. And here’s the fun part: you’re allowed to play with the switches! A simple on/off toggle switch activates the instruments, giving each panel its own “voice”. The control panel features a slightly kitschy painting of a bunch of flowers, but I like the reference – you are, in fact, creating a bouquet of sounds. This is the most fun I’ve had in a gallery for a while – not many artworks come with this much play value.
The accordeon sits (thankfully) in a smaller room and is surrounded by three large black and white photographs of the artist on the chair, drawing a parallel between her body, her instrument, and the “automatons” she created.
As a final word, I’d like to leave you with a plea: when you leave the gallery, please switch off the accordeon!

SBC Galerie d’art contemporain
space 507
Lyne Lapointe
La Clef
exhibition period: September 24 – October 26, 2008
www.sbcgallery.ca