As part of the Mois de la Photo du Grand Paris, in relation with her solo show at la Maison Européenne de la Photographie* we are presenting at the gallery for her fourth personal show (Masques, Pekin Opera Facing Design & Réalité augmentée, 2014 / Tricéphale, 2003 / SelfHybridations Indiennes-Américaines, 2008), the whole series of 23 photographies from Le Drapé, Le Baroque, Palazzo Grassi, Venise, 1979.

« Le Drapé, Le Baroque, Palazzo Grassi, Venise, 1979, et autres sculptures de plis is a performance organized by Jorge Glusberg, Director of the National Museum of Fine Arts of Argentina in Buenos Aires.

A lot of time was needed for the artist to dress up and create beautiful folds of fabric. Orlan was placed in a plexiglas shrine from which only one of her finger -that of designation- was coming out. Six men would carry this shrine horizontally across the entire Palazzo Grassi, then place it vertically in order for Orlan to stand up. Each fold of fabric was connected to a nylon thread, itself connected to rings bore at each assistant’s finger.

The assistants would move the threads in front of a camera as one does with puppets. The camera would live shot loads of fold studies that were immediately projected on 28 video screens, 14 on each side, and broadcasted over and over during the whole performance.

Orlan would come out of the shrine and slowly take off the folds of fabric around her head, also unwrapping the object she was carrying in her arms, which looked like a swaddled baby. Orlan would unfold a very big ribbon while spinning on herself. It would uncover an object painted in blue on the outside, the crust, and red on the inside, the crumb, which Orlan would break into pieces and eat.

Orlan would undo her hair and get down on all four over a circle of white flour. She would progressively arrive in front of a huge red carpet, which, from the center of the Palazzo Grassi, would come onto the pontoon.

She would wrap herself on all four in this red fabric, hence turning into a big red bowl, making it more and more difficult to wrap herself.

The bowl would get bigger and bigger on the boat pontoon. As she kept wrapping herself up, ORLAN would seem to fall into the lagoon. But it was a visual effect since a small boat was waiting for her below, steered by a rower. Orlan would slowly unwrap herself and let the red carpet fall into the lagoon until coming out of the viewers’ sight. »