The Platform is a swirl shaped object, reminiscent of frosting on a cupcake or a stylized pile of shit, the form is painted in blue and white and is ornamented with large sugar like cubes that light up. Both the colour and the form trigger automatic associations. Blue and white could have equally been sourced from a political party (Conservative) or from a sports team (Leafs or Jay’s) or simply the artist’s aesthetic choice. This playful experiment is applying the possible ambiguity offered by aesthetics to “the Pile”, a form used and revisited by René de Cotret. The piece could be a cupcake or a candy coated pile of poop. Depends on what you see.
The combination and decontextualization of elements from every day life create a possibility for new perspectives on human conventions.
By connecting otherwise unconnected “elements” of daily life.
By allowing viewers to react to the elements of a rearranged reality through their own subjectivity (filters, personal history / experiences).
By allowing the “elements” to behave their behaviour, to perform out of the associative potential they possess.
Julie René de Cotret (born in Montreal) is a visual artist, writer and independent curator. BFA NSCAD 2004. She has exhibited and curated internationally, recently in Stockholm, Sweden and in Athens, Greece. René de Cotret makes things happened in and out of institutions, she co-founded the artist residency program at the School of Environmental Science, U. of Guelph, 2009 to present. Her studios are located in Hillsburgh and Guelph, Ontario. René de Cotret has been a member of the board of directors at Ed Video Media Arts Centre since 2006.