Additional Information
Érick D’Orion is an extreme artist who takes his work very seriously, without taking himself too seriously. Contagious absurdist humor! An iconoclast of noise, electro, free improvisation and other electroshocks, he is also a sound curator, a related profession he has practiced with openness and enthusiasm for many years at FIMAV. His contribution has become essential, so much so that even a scaled-down version of the festival can’t leave out what he’s responsible for: the outdoor sound installation trail, FIMAV’s most important cultural mediation operation for the Bois-Francs population. That’s why this work deserves to be highlighted, and why PAN M 360 is posting this interview with Alain Brunet.
PAN M 360: What other sound installation projects have inspired you since you began curating FIMAV?
Érick D’Orion: Although our background is fairly unique in the music festival world, I was inspired by certain events and festivals where I’ve had the opportunity to present my installation work as well as concerts, mainly in contexts specializing in audio and electronic art. The City Sonic festival in Belgium, which I attended three times, is probably the most significant inspiration. In fact, for 2026 or 2027, I’m in the process of hosting the work of a French artist whose career I’ve been following since my first participation in this festival.It’s also worth mentioning that we presented two works by the Scenocosme duo in 2019, artists who I also met during one of my visits to City Sonic. Closer to home, Mois Multi has also been a great influence, as I discovered sound installations at the very first edition of this festival in Quebec City.
PAN M 360: As a sound artist (you’re playing with FIRE! next week), how do you situate your work?
Érick D’Orion: My work veers towards a radical approach to sound, to the listening experience. I try to express a dynamic energy, and I’d like people to find the spirit of free jazz in what I do. Basically, it’s free jazz: emotion, expression, joy and a certain form of spirituality outside the esoteric!
PAN M 360: How has this concept progressed at FIMAV over the years? Exactly how many years? Has the budget increased over time?
Érick D’Orion: This is my fifteenth program out of 16 editions. The first year, I presented 3 works, including one of my own. Later, I was invited to take on the curatorial role and presented 4 works. The project developed over the years, and the mediation aspect became extremely important, with over 40 school visits a year for the past 6 years. As the budget has grown, I’m now able to program around ten works with the appropriate means to properly accommodate the artists.
PAN M 360: How does the selection process work?
Érick D’Orion: I receive around thirty submissions spontaneously every year. I prefer to avoid putting out calls for submissions, because I don’t like the idea of having artists work needlessly on projects designed expressly for our festival, which may not be selected in the end, simply because the competition is too strong. In fact, I try to avoid the logic of competition at all costs.
I prefer a grassroots approach: I travel, I visit exhibitions, and when I’m away on business in other cities, I take the time to see what’s going on in artist-run centers. I also talk to my friends in the art community, because yes, I do like to collaborate with people I know – not exclusively, but it happens a lot. After all, it’s a role based on mutual trust.
PAN M 360: Can you briefly describe the works and their creators selected this year? (the longest answer!)
Érick D’Orion: This year, as fate would have it, we’re giving pride of place to artists in the early stages of their careers, many of whom are still at university!
For example, Léa Boudreau – artist and composer, winner of an Opus Prize last year – and Simon Chioini, both in the final stages of their master’s degrees at the Université de Montréal, present us with a site-specific work on the acoustic space of a venue. The same goes for Quebec City trio MMV2005, made up of graduates of the Master’s program in visual arts at Université Laval, who will be presenting us with a performative, evolving installation, deployed throughout the week – a living work in constant transformation.
Max Boutin has just completed a doctorate in art studies and practice at UQAM. His installation explores the world of skateboarding, between urban culture and the poetry of gesture. And finally, Giuseppe Masia, also completing his master’s degree at UQAM (his jury will be visiting his work during the week!), works with sound by making homemade record players and tampering with vinyl records – artisanal, raw, inventive work.
So much for the “school theme”.
Pascale Leblanc Lavigne, who made her mark in 2022 with two memorable works, also returns. This time, she returns with a large-scale installation, evoking snowfall in a certain poetic chaos. Quebec City-based trio Théâtre Rude Ingénierie presents two mechanical works with a strong theatrical dimension.
And to top it all off, we have a visit from a major artist in the field of audio art: the Frenchman Félix Blume. Thanks to a partnership with the Avatar artist-run center in Quebec City, we’ll be presenting two works by the artist, including a world premiere, developed during his residency in April.
PAN M 360: Is there a local/international ratio in the choice of works?
Érick D’Orion: There’s no set ratio, just a desire to have as many new works as possible in the region.
PAN M 360: Do you look for coherence between the works when you select them? How do you construct the itinerary?
Érick D’Orion: I’m probably a very bad curator – an impostor among my colleagues! Curatorial practice is normally based on prior reflection: the curator develops a line of thought, then selects works in line with this logic, weaving a common thread that goes beyond a simple theme.
Me, I work on instinct. I let myself be guided by encounters, impulses and intuitions. Chance imposes itself, and, without being voluntary, a meaning emerges. The subject establishes itself, almost by stealth. The water always finds its way, so to speak.
But that’s just between us!
PAN M 360: Haha! free jazz curating of a sort. And what are the production criteria for works that have to withstand the elements?
Érick D’Orion: This was an important consideration, and one that became more and more of a constraint on my selection over time. For some years now, we have been opting for works that can be displayed in containers that we fit out. In addition to protection from the elements, we’re assured of greater security outside exhibition hours, as the containers lock.
PAN M 360: How involved has the local population really been over the years? Were they simply curious, or did they embrace the concept?
Érick D’Orion: It’s a mixture of curiosity and real support for the project.
I’m out in the field for most of the festival, and I recognize faces year after year – people who come to talk to me, to check in, to tell me that the return of the route is always a good sign. (And yet, I don’t even live in Victoriaville!) School groups are also a fine example of this support: children remember the works from previous years, they talk about them, they look forward to them.
Some volunteers even signed up because they discovered the festival along the way – which just goes to show how much this proposal resonates with people.
PAN M 360: Have you ever thought of a permanent open-air museum with the kind of sound installations you see elsewhere?
Érick D’Orion: Museum, no. But a few permanent works in partnership with the city would be a real success.
PAN M 360: How do you envisage these works lasting? Ephemeral? Seasonal? Permanent? Ah, I’ve just unwittingly answered your question!
PAN M 360: What does the future hold for this course in Victo?
Érick D’Orion: I can see it getting bigger. Going to 15 works and making it last 2 weeks is an idea I have, and one that resonates with the team.
PAN M 360: Do you have any other similar projects in the pipeline?
Érick D’Orion: Yes, I’ll be heading up a delegation of Quebec artists for a major event in early 2026 in France. I’ll be programming 6 experimental music solos and 5 installations over the course of a week. I can’t name the event, but I’ll keep PAN M 360 afficionados in the loop. And I’m planning something big in 3 years’ time for an exhibition of travelling sound installations. Stay tuned….!
