by Benoit Depelteau
A review of handcrafted artist books from Organes Variables
Organes Variables is a group of artists from Montreal, Canada and Poitiers, France who have produced, in the last year, a series of remarkable handcrafted artists books. A few months ago, in the shadow of Montreal’s Olympic Tower, I sat with one of the collective’s founders, artist and filmmaker Guillaume Vallée, to talk about the project.
In March 2013, when he was studying at École européenne supérieure de l’image in Poitiers, France, Vallée met local artists Marine Vergne Figliolini and Floriane Musseau. Together, they created this project as a way to encourage the conversation between artists from their respective regions. Even though they share a language and many cultural aspects, Vallée points out, there are surprisingly few collaborative projects between both countries in the field of visual arts.
A few months later, from the fusion of their respective works emerged a first publication, Organes Variables #1 Une Explosion de Sucre en Poudre…! Before its first anniversary, the prolific collective, now based on both sides of the Atlantic, recruited a new member, Montreal-based artist Caroline Scott and published four more books and a series of prints.
Their limited edition publications are pure d.i.y. gems, showing a meticulous attention to detail and a desire to explore the codes of the genre. Each number revolves around a different idea, often related to the senses, which reflects in the content, of course, but also in the packaging.
Even with the inclusion of guest collaborators and a variety of mediums, the project’s cohesion is still very impressive. The work of each member, still evidently recognizable, blends well in the finished images. Vallée’s collage style and Figliolini’s organic drawings nicely balance each others while Musseau’s use of the red thread ties everything together.
To view more of the collective’s work or to purchase their books, visit their website: organesvariables.com
To get your own copy of the article and see more images, purchase Issue Eight or SUBSCRIBE to never miss an issue.
Image:
Un rôti bien ficelé!
Organes Variables No. 4
8.27″x5.83″ (A5 format)
23 pages
Edition of 60 (30 in France, 30 in Canada)