MANIFESTE POUR UNE ARCHITECTURE DOUCE
An exhibition of Josée Bernard and Sharyn Yuen
The exhibition runs from January 7 to February 7, 1999
A bilingual publication with text by Lisa Robertson accompanies the exhibition

Memory’s architecture is neither palatial not theatrical but soft.
Lisa Robertson

The project Soft Architecture: A Manifesto was realised through the collaborative efforts of Artspeak Gallery and Dazibao, bringing together the work of artists Josée Bernard and Sharyn Yuen with writer/poet Lisa Robertson. Despite cultural difference and geographical distance all three artists have used childhood and the notion of memory to discuss the discomforts of displacement.

The intention of this project was to provoke ideas and combine different practices that would extend the parameters of photography, forging links with other mediums. Soft Architecture: A Manifesto was initially exhibited at Dazibao in Montréal, as part of the Deviant Practices series. This exhibition later traveled to Artspeak Gallery in Vancouver.

Inspired by a child's quilt found in the house in which she grew up, Josée Bernard involves in Après les étoiles filantes images and themes recurring in her previous work, exploring the passing of time, warmth and comfort. The installation is meant as a symbol of fecundity and equilibrium in which are juxtaposed the labourer's work and needlework.

In Once Here Sharyn Yuen addresses the notion of historical displacement and dislocation experienced by young Chinese girls sold overseas in the early 1900's for domestic and sexual servitude. Family stories evoked a desire to further investigate ideas associated with comfort and security, using Christian "Rescue Homes" as the departure point for this installation.

Josée Bernard lives and works in Montréal. Her work has been exhibited in Canada and Europe. Recent exhibitions include, 3 fois 3 paysages (VU, centre de diffusion de la photographie, Québec), Présents relatifs (Quartiers éphémères, Montréal; Centre d'art contemporain de Rueil-Malmaison) et Labours (Centre d'art contemporain de Basse-Normandie).

Lisa Robertson is a Vancouver poet and cultural critic. Debbie: An Epic was recently published by New Star Books. Her column Beneath the Pavilions appears regularly in Mix magazine.

Sharyn Yuen lives and works in Vancouver. Recent selected exhibitions include Personal Histories (Gallery 44, Toronto) and Topographies (Vancouver Art Gallery). Her work has been exhibited across Canada, as well as in Japan, England, and Scotland.