Escaping all the borders: Jean-Michel Crapanzano at Arlington Arts Center

Jean-Michel Crapanzano is one of those artists who does it all. Born in France and based in the Netherlands, he is currently the international artist in residence at the Arlington Arts Center. He is in the area for two weeks, an atypically short time for an AAC residency, but more about that in a moment.

Jean-Michel Crapanzano is one of those artists who does it all. Born in France and based in the Netherlands, he is currently the international artist in residence at the Arlington Arts Center. He is in the area for two weeks, an atypically short time for an AAC residency, but more about that in a moment.

He studied art in Strasbourg, completing a multidisciplinary program that makes it possible for his projects to incorporate video, drawing, photography and installation all created by Jean-Michel. When Claire Huschle, executive director at AAC, arranged our interview, I asked what the artist looked like. There was a pause then “he’s a European artist: black rimmed glasses…” I anticipated a creative but cynical type, not the person who showed up.

Although the aforementioned glasses were there, the world-is-doomed outlook was missing. Jean-Michel has an energetic enthusiasm that made me hesitate to introduce myself. He is clearly excited about the projects and people around him. His creations not only involve interaction with the community, but also defy categorization. His ability to work in varied disciplines and his intense curiosity make his pieces powerful, relevant and fascinating.

During his residency at AAC he is constructing a project based on the question: what can we expect from the future? In Liege he recently made an installation inspired by this question and incorporated ideas from local residents. In Arlington he has been conducting interviews (arranged by Huschle) and asking questions such as "how do you see the future?" He describes the interviewees as “a scientist, a police officer, a priest and a Zumba instructor.” Quite the spectrum.

Drawing stories from these residents, he is creating a mixed-media installation, parts of which will be on view at AAC through the end of August. It is evident that he enjoys conversing and sharing different perspectives on life, politics, philosophy, and people. One of the reasons his residency is short is because he must return to Europe to be with his one-year-old son.

The Arlington Arts Center annually hosts an international artist without requiring that the artists produce or exhibit as a result of the residency. Instead the emphasis is on process, dialogue and interaction between the visiting artist and local community. The first step of Jean-Michel’s project involved interviews; step 2 of the project is a physical representation of his impressions of DC. As he studied the history of the city, he became fascinated by links between George Washington, Freemasonry and architecture in the city.

These intersections of politics, science, and art were a theme of our conversation. Jean-Michel discussed his interest in science as “I want to find the form of the future. Scientists try to simulate what will happen and I am into that. Of course I am an artist and use artistic techniques but sometimes I say I do not care about art as aesthetic preferences, I am more into scientific research through art. Of course I use a lot of composition, a lot of rhythm, special art techniques. This is my language, but it is not my goal to reach an aesthetic form for itself. At the same time I can appreciate what other artists do and have done. I appreciate art as a history of form. But there are artists aware of science. People like Picasso are not famous for this relationship, but if you read Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and understand the principles of relationship, you can see Einstein’s theories in cubism. Both emerged in 1905, the early years of the 20^th century. Or in The Middle Ages, it was not possible to create a painting that represented Jesus the same size as other people. He needed to be larger. So painting was a depiction of relationships between man and God… What is reality? What is perspective? How can we understand reality? Both art and science respond to these questions. It’s only a question of point of view. The basis of my research is interviews with people. It is really a democratic process. It is not only about showing my point of view. I am not the kind of artist who locks himself in a studio alone. I want us to be aware of life and society and the changes that impact our future.”

His project in Liege was part of a series he calls “Invisible Empire,” a title that refers to his interest in forces that determine and drive change.  It included an intricate drawing on one wall of the gallery that depicted spacecraft, an altar-like assemblage of objects that included a small rug/candlesticks/framed pictures, a video of residents' interview excerpts, photographs that included people levitating in urban landscapes, and worn-out skateboards hung from the ceiling like Duchamp readymades for the 21^st century.

Asked how his interviews of people in Arlington differ from those in Belgium he said “People here are really positive. They see the future optimistically and in Europe it is completely different. People tend to be more negative. I think it is because people are more involved in charitable organizations in the states. I only met 6 or 7 people so it may not be enough to have a good idea, but I think people here are working toward solutions. They believe society will find alternative ways. People try to make things better, try to change the future. The video I just made in Liege was less optimistic. What I appreciate about this series and its interactive approach is that it obliges me to constantly find a new form in terms of techniques. I love this because I do not repeat anything. Life is a dynamic process, and I try to capture this. It’s a kind of alchemy, like the transformation of a metal into gold, art can transform conscience. It’s a long process to transform yourself, the way you see the world, and there’s no point where it ends or stops. In a recent project I included the line ‘I dreamt about a place above all things and borderlines.’ I love this idea of the possibility of escaping all the borders.”