- Films
- Music
- Improvisation
About
Harmonica in situ is a triptych of art videos born from the encounter between the experimental harmonica of Ulysse Ruel and the gaze of three Quebec filmmakers: Philippe Arseneau, Olivier Laflamme and Loup-William Théberge. The device is reversed: rather than putting images on existing music, each work is shot during an improvised performance on site, in a place chosen by the filmmaker. The light, atmosphere and symbolic charge of the place alter the musical gesture and the latter influences the shooting.
Credits
Ulysse Ruel — music and artistic direction Philippe Arseneau — production (video 1) Olivier Laflamme — production (video 2) Wolf-William Théberge — realization (video 3)
Biographies
Philippe Arseneau Vidéaste de Québec specializing in dance films and video clips, Philippe Arseneau is a resident artist of La Charpente des fauves. He creates compositions that capture the truth of a gesture, a place or a meeting, in order to offer a perspective that engages and inspires the viewer. His choreographic look nourishes a natural dialogue with improvised practices. Olivier Laflamme Olivier Laflamme, an interdisciplinary art baccalaureate, has film and video as his main practice. Feeded by a careful observation, his projects are part of a mix between documentary reality and assumed subjective artistic look. He loves collaboration, where two visions meet and where the talk gains an additional dimension, and is interested in the internal rhythm of images and editing, as well as its influence on narrative and emotional perception. Wolf-William Théberge Vidéaste de Québec, Loup-William Théberge has accumulated experience in cinema, documentary and advertising. He has explored dance extensively as a means of expression in the image and has developed a strong interest in everything that is musical. He likes to magnify a performance or a scene by sculpting lighting, a bit like painting a canvas, and offers visually rich universes. Ulysse Ruel Harmonicist of Quebec, Ulysse Ruel has been a guest on several albums and shows since 2007, and became a singer of the Lucil band from 2012 to 2016. He has continued his solo research as Ulysse Ruel Orchestra, where he creates improvised universes by pushing the limits of harmonica with the help of machines and effects pedals. Trained in visual arts, multimedia and history, he approaches the scene as an ephemeral, risky and performing art.
Artist acknowledgements
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the City of Quebec





