Un thé sur la rivière (2021)
HD video, experimental, 21 min 24, stereo, French
Through the exchange of water and the sharing of tea in the environment of the Yamaska River, Mei-Kuei Feu questions our relationship with nature and with each other. She collected testimonies from participants related to the intimate experience of water, particularly swimming, which frequently evokes contradictory emotions such as fear, joy, anxiety, peace, etc. Remembering is a work of memory that is constantly reinvented with a new setting and new elements. So the riverside landscapes where these encounters took place become impregnated with memories and become sensitive.
This project was carried out in the context of a co-production residency in infiltrating art at the 3e impérial, centre d'essai en art actuel, from February 2019 to September 2021 and as part of the exploration cycle "Trancher dans le vif du Temps: Infuser / Diffuser". It concluded with a video screening and tea sharing at the Yamaska River Trail on September 25. You can visit the Flux Yamaska blog dedicated to this project for more information.
Video credits "Un thé sur la rivière" :
Direction and design / Mei-Kuei Feu
Camera / Paul Turcotte, Mei-Kuei Feu
Editing / Mei-Kuei Feu
Sound / Mei-Kuei Feu, Paul Turcotte
Music / freesound.org
"Electronic Minute No 7" de gis_sweden (CC0)
"HIGH EXPO Song" de JuliWex (CC0)
"Peaceful Piano Loop" de archtects (CC0)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To Lorraine Dempsey, Pierre Saurette, Chantal Paris, Sabine Vanderlinden, Lou Paris and Max who participated in the water exchanges; to Bernard Valiquette (SETHY Foundation), Michel Laliberté (OBV Yamaska), Suzanne Leclair (artist), Huguette Boulais (Café Madame Hortense), Sylvie Choinière, Pierre Marchesseault and to all those who preferred to remain anonymous; and especially to the 3e impérial team for their invaluable support in this project.