{"id":5094,"date":"2026-07-27T13:51:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/labeauairsol.ca\/when-science-meets-art-our-collaborations-with-caroline-monnet\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T15:27:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T19:27:02","slug":"when-science-meets-art-our-collaborations-with-caroline-monnet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/labeauairsol.ca\/en\/when-science-meets-art-our-collaborations-with-caroline-monnet\/","title":{"rendered":"When Science Meets Art: Our Collaborations with Caroline Monnet"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\r\n Art, Culture, and Special Projects\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n When Science Meets Art: Our Collaborations with Caroline Monnet\r\n <\/h1>\r\n\r\n

\r\n Lab'Eau-Air-Sol has applied its expertise in environmental microbiology\r\n to two works by the multidisciplinary artist\r\n Caroline Monnet:\r\n *Havoc*<\/strong> and *Depredation<\/strong>*.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/header>\r\n\r\n

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About Caroline Monnet<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

\r\n Caroline Monnet is a multidisciplinary artist\r\n of Anichinabe and French descent based in Montreal.\r\n Her practice encompasses visual arts, film,\r\n sculpture, and installation art.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n She is known for her use of industrial materials\r\n and construction-related materials,\r\n which she transforms to explore the connections between\r\n identity, memory, architecture, territory, and\r\n the built environment.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n The collaborations between Caroline Monnet and\r\n Lab'Eau-Air-Sol arose from a specific challenge:\r\n to use living microorganisms as artistic\r\n components while controlling their growth,\r\n appearance, and the conditions necessary for a\r\n safe presentation.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Works Created in Collaboration<\/h3>\r\n\r\n

\r\n The works *Havoc* and *Depredation* have made it possible to\r\n bring together contemporary art, microbiology, environmental\r\n, and building materials.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n

Havoc: Controlling Living Things to Create a Work of Art<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

\r\n In 2021, Lab'Eau-Air-Sol collaborated closely on the\r\n production of *Havoc*<\/em>, which was featured in\r\n the *Ninga M\u00ecn\u00e8h*<\/em> exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts\r\n.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n The artwork featured traditional Anichinabe motifs\r\n, with contrasts created using\r\n mold. The creation required a great deal of ingenuity\r\n to maintain and control the mold\u2019s growth,\r\n to achieve precise visual definition, and to ensure\r\n that the artwork was safe for display. \r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n The team had to take into account the behavior of the microorganisms\r\n, the conditions conducive to their\r\n development, and the visual evolution of the artwork\r\n over time.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n

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\r\n\r\n \"View\r\n\r\n
\r\n Havoc<\/em>, view from the exhibition\r\n Caroline Monnet: Ninga M\u00ecn\u00e8h<\/em>.\r\n Photo: MMFA, Denis Farley.\r\n <\/figcaption>\r\n\r\n <\/figure>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"Detail\r\n\r\n
\r\n Havoc<\/em>, view from the exhibition\r\n Caroline Monnet: Ninga M\u00ecn\u00e8h<\/em>.\r\n Photo: MMFA, Denis Farley.\r\n <\/figcaption>\r\n\r\n <\/figure>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"Patterns\r\n\r\n
\r\n Havoc<\/em>, view from the exhibition\r\n Caroline Monnet: Ninga M\u00ecn\u00e8h<\/em>.\r\n Photo: MBAM, Denis Farley.\r\n <\/figcaption>\r\n\r\n <\/figure>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"Installation\r\n\r\n
\r\n Havoc<\/em>, view from the exhibition\r\n Caroline Monnet: Ninga M\u00ecn\u00e8h<\/em>.\r\n Photo: MMFA, Denis Farley.\r\n <\/figcaption>\r\n\r\n <\/figure>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n Overview:<\/strong>\r\n The exhibition \u201cCaroline Monnet: Ninga M\u00ecn\u00e8h\u201d<\/em>\r\n was on view at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts\r\n from April 21 to August 1, 2021.\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n

\"Depredation\": A New Collaboration on Display in New York<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

\r\n In 2023, Caroline Monnet once again called on\r\n Lab'Eau-Air-Sol to create\r\n Depredation<\/em>.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n This mural, made of gypsum panels, incorporated mold-\r\n s associated with building materials\r\n affected by moisture problems.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n The use of gypsum and mold established a\r\n direct link between building materials,\r\n moisture problems in buildings, and the\r\n gradual transformation of built spaces.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n The work was featured in the exhibition\r\n WORKSITE<\/em> at Arsenal Contemporary Art New York,\r\n at 21 Cortlandt Alley, from September 8 to\r\n October 21, 2023.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n

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\r\n\r\n \"Caroline\r\n\r\n
\r\n *Depredation*<\/em>, 2023.\r\n Photo: Jorge Rios.\r\n <\/figcaption>\r\n\r\n <\/figure>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"View\r\n\r\n
\r\n \"Depredation<\/em>,\" view from the exhibition\r\n WORKSITE<\/em>.\r\n Photo: Jorge Rios.\r\n <\/figcaption>\r\n\r\n <\/figure>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"Installation\r\n\r\n
\r\n \"Depredation<\/em>,\" view from the exhibition\r\n WORKSITE<\/em>.\r\n Photo: Jorge Rios.\r\n <\/figcaption>\r\n\r\n <\/figure>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n Overview:<\/strong>\r\n WORKSITE<\/em> was a solo exhibition\r\n by Caroline Monnet presented at Arsenal Contemporary Art\r\n in New York in 2023.\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n

A Creative Partnership Based on Expertise<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

\r\n These collaborations demonstrate that Lab'Eau-Air-Sol's scientific and\r\n expertise can find\r\n applications far beyond traditional\r\n building analyses.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n By contributing to these works, our team participated in\r\n a dialogue between microbiology, materials,\r\n the built environment, contemporary art, and our relationship to the\r\n spaces we inhabit.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n These projects have also made it possible to put science\r\n at the service of a unique artistic approach, in which living\r\n becomes at once a material, a process of\r\n transformation, and a visual element.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n