In Bertrand Lamarche’s work, the figure of the funnel is articulated around an ensemble of omipresent shapes (cone, spiral, ellipsis), phenomena (vortex, tornado, black hole) and notions (infinity, depth of field, perspective).Cyclotunnel (a movie set), is a paper cone several metres in length, which calls to mind a visual-capture instrument. Placed on a landscape-like polystyrene relief, the object is surprising in scale : between model and prototype. A small camera films inside the cone in real time : the image, simultaneously projected in another room at La Galerie, and slightly flattened by 16 :9 capture, displays a succession of rings with moving shadows created a light variations as visitors pass between the objects and its lighting. Using the cone capacity to considerably increase depth of field – a common cinematographic effect- the artist conducts an experiment of optical illusion : he metamorphoses the cone into the tunnel of its interior, while introducing a kinetic dimension. With no apparent beginning or end, Cyclotunnel refers to the idea of mise en abime : this artificial tunnel is a kind of « fourth dimension », where time and space seem able to strech ad infinitum.

Anne Lou Vicente, La Galerie, Noisy le Sec, 2008-The Funnel, HYX, 2008

Bertrand Lamarche, Cyclotunnel, 2008 View of the exhibition at La Galerie, Noisy-Le-Sec,
© Cédrick Eymenier