Andrée-Anne Roussel Speculative Creatures
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, image tirée de l’installation Speculative Creatures, 2023
The video installation Speculative Creatures examines the place of intuition, prediction and speculation in the worlds of finance, spirituality and machine learning. The evolving narrative structure of the work is generated by a probability tool based on Markov chains. Using computer code, the order of the installation's multiple audio sequences differs from time to time, generating constantly renewed associations of ideas.
Roussel had the opportunity to shoot her project in Manhattan as part of the CALQ - Studio du Québec à New York residency, from August 2022 to January 2023. The artist interviewed and filmed people from a wide variety of backgrounds: financial forecasts, trend predictions, people working in the field of AI, mediums and clairvoyants (from different spiritual practices). The various testimonials, in voice-over, create a mosaic of viewpoints around the themes addressed.
In its current form, the project comprises 75 audio files, equivalent to around 2 hours of content. A contemplative double projection illustrates the multiple forecasting methods discussed during the interviews. On a flat screen, a program performs a real-time analysis of the installation's audio content, generating clairvoyant-like predictions from the data collected. To improve accessibility, a French subtitling system is displayed on another flat screen, synchronized with the generative order of the Markov chains.
Credits Speculative Creatures
Participants
Alejandro Di Luca
Alia Al-Saji
Allison Parrish
Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou
Crystal Gayle Luther
David Williams, cinéaste
Révérend Flourish Klink
François Delorme, Professeur associé au département de sciences économiques de l’Université de Sherbrooke
Hadassah Damien
Ken Ngwa
Kevin Brantuo
Laurence Allaire Jean, Aventurier de la Volatilité
Laurent Chevallier
Lydia Caldana, Stratège en prospective
Dr. Martin Zeckra, Station sismique de Bensberg, Université de Cologne
Nèg Mawon
Nick Montfort
Viki Han, Shaman cosmique
Veronica VanCauwenberghe
*This list is not exhaustive, as some participants preferred to remain anonymous..
Collaborators
Programming – Jason Gendreau
Music – Samuel Gougoux
Audio Mix – Emilie Blaise
Colorization – William Albu
Translation and subtitles – T&S coop
Video Credits
Beautiful visualisation of Australian weather forecast model
Research: Dr Charmaine Franklin, Bureau of Meteorology
Visualisation: Drew Whitehouse, NCI Vizlab
Full simulation of Sydney's sweltering summer heatwave (2017)
Research: Annette L. Hirsch
Visualisation : Drew Whitehouse, NCI Vizlab
June 2016 East-Coast Low
Research: Alejandro Di Luca and Jason Evans
Visualisation : Drew Whitehouse, NCI Vizlab
JQuake - 東日本大震災
François Le Neindre, YouTube JQuake channel
Financed by
CALQ
With the support of
Prim
Art Partage
Thanks
Dr. Pablo D. Herrera Veitia, Fanny Drew, Jean-Pierre Dion, Jérémie McEwen, Karine Brudi-Bilyk, Kaveh Nabatian, La délégation générale du Québec à New York, Le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Mahalia Stines, Maria Luiza de Barros, Marie-Pierre Grenier, Mathieu Bédard, Mériol Lehmann, Nèg Mawon, Noha Chouckrallah, Radhanath Gagnon, Ronny Desinor, Sarah Mannering, Sumedha, Umberto Jean-Louis, Ulysses Pascal, Yves Nazon, the artist's family and all participants for their generosity and openness.
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, image tirée de l’installation Speculative Creatures, 2023
Andrée-Anne Roussel is a filmmaker and new media artist. Working primarily with video, her projects take the form of immersive installations and sensory films. Her artistic approach is intrinsically linked to her desire to understand the world around her. She is interested in the invisible forces that shape our universe and influence our experiences. As a result, her projects address philosophical and spiritual questions that are at the heart of the human condition, and often establish links between different, even opposing, ways of seeing the world. Her work has been presented at the Sapporo International Short Film Festival, the São Paulo International Short Film Festival and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
© Andrée-Anne Roussel, view from the exhibition Speculative Creatures, from January 25 to March 22, 2025. Photo: Michael Patten @labelleprovenance
