MAGNIFICENCE AILÉE, Responsive Art System. Each fall, monarch butterflies travel more than 4,800 km from Canada to their wintering sites in the mountainous forests of Mexico. An emblem of the borderless union of the three countries of North America, the monarch has been endangered since December 8, 2023.

Philomène Longpré has studied them for many years and documented their migration from Point Pelée National Park, in Ontario, to Michoacán, Mexico. To highlight the images and sensations collected in the field, during a residency at the Maison de la Culture Claude-Léveillée, she created an installation and participatory work composed of 4,800 ephemeral starch paper wings painted with ink food and placed under the shade of robotic branches. Accompanied by soundscapes and a video installation, the work presents with prints on recycled fabric, a tribute to the milkweed, the monarch’s essential host plant. The installation addresses questions about fragility, endurance, and perseverance and the impact of the technological world. This observation encourages us to reflect on the depth and complexity of the life cycle and migratory movements, highlighting the way in which we are all interconnected in our constant quest for survival and renewal.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/philomene_longpre