Artist: Louise Lemieux Bérubé
of Montréal, Québec, Canada
Interview 131: Louise exhibited many works in the 2014 World of Threads Festival exhibition Solo Shows & Installations in the Corridor Galleries at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
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Interviews published and curated by Gareth Bate & Dawne Rudman.
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Artist: Louise Lemieux Bérubé |
Tell us about your work:
I am proud to say that I am a weaver, first of all. In the late 70's, I started weaving shirts, dresses and shawls that I sold at the Salon des métiers d'art in Montreal (Craft show). I did that for three years. At one point, I had to decide if I would hire people to work for me, or if I would prefer weaving artworks for the wall. I was selling quite well, but I realized I did not want to become a "business woman".
When my two children were old enough and going to school all day, I decided to enroll in a B.A. program at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). I first chose philosophy, and after one complete year, I switched to Art History. It is during that period of time, that my ideas about weaving changed and I decided to focus on textile art. I had learned (by myself) quite a lot about complex weaving and I was able to create and weave panels that used colour threads in an innovative way. But very soon, I felt that there were too many constraints with the multi harness-loom I was using, and I wanted to weave images. I started to look if there would be any possibility to get a hand Jacquard loom. Soon, I was able to get two firms working together to make what I was looking for (an American handloom company (AVL), and a French computerized Jacquard firm (TIS)).
In 1989, I co-founded the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles. It was through that institution that I was able to acquire such an expensive tool. It was also for the benefit of all of our students. The Centre was the first one (to my knowledge) to offer students this kind of equipment. It became known internationally because of the summer classes I had started to offer each year.
My first solo exhibition was about Dance. I wanted to tell the art world in Montreal that weaving was also a possible tool to create artwork. By bringing together in a single textile the work of a choreographer, dancers, and a photographer, I was able to attract attention. The success of this first solo show confirmed that my choice was what I wanted to do.
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La Ronde, 2009, Jacquard weaving. From a choreography Sur les glaces du Labrador by Montreal Danse – Kathy Casey, Cotton, wool, linen,108x108 cm, Private collection. |
You turn photographs into Jacquard weavings. Tell us how you decided on this method for your artwork?
I have always been interested in photography. Since the 90's, I have been a member of different photography clubs, I liked to talk about and discuss photographed images and the use of different tools with the camera. I did the same thing with video making, and produced some videos on young craft artisans. And I learned how to use Photoshop very well during that period of time. As soon as I had access to a Jacquard loom, my first research was how to import and use photographs. I was not interested in drawing and creating repeat designs for useful textiles. I wanted to do one-of-a-kind "tapestry" works. So, bringing together photography and weaving was the natural way for me to explore this new technology.
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Rodin & Claudel 4, 2012, Jacquard weaving. From the Rodin and Claudel choreography by Peter Quanz, cotton, linen, dyes,160x108 cm. |
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Rodin & Claudel 3, 2012. Jacquard weaving, cotton, linen, dyes,160x108 cm. |
A major theme for many of your pieces is dance. What was the motivation for incorporating dance into your weavings?
Contemporary dance had been my favourite art activity for many years. (Being a board member of Place des Arts - the most important performing art place in Montreal - I had the chance to get tickets for different performing art presentations). With my daughter, who was a gymnast at that time, I attended as many dance presentations as possible. I decided to ask famous choreographers of the dance scene in Montreal to give me permission to look into their archives to choose photographs that inspired me for my Jacquard weaving. I also had to ask similar permission from the artists who had taken the chosen photographs. All accepted generously and I was given the permission I needed. I was so happy! One of the photographers was Annie Leibovitz who had photographed Margie Gillis. I kept her acceptance letter very preciously! I was not confident enough in myself at that time to ask them to take photographs during their rehearsals or public presentations. I was too shy.
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Rodin & Claudel 2, 2012. Jacquard weaving, cotton, linen, dyes, 183x290 cm, City of Montreal collection |
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Rodin & Claudel 1, 2012. Jacquard weaving, cotton, linen, dyes, 244x412 cm. |
What attracted you to incorporating movement into your textiles?
As I was going through the archives of each dance company, I realized that the photos that pleased me the most, were those where the dancers were wearing a special dress or costume, and especially when I could see that the fabric of those dresses was in movement. My passion for textiles was certainly influencing my choices. (i.e. Margie Gillis with her large dress and hair, Navas with his transparent costume).
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Le Dernier Déjeuner sur l'herbe, 2005. Jacquard weaving, From a choreography entitled La Cérémonie by Fernand Nault. The photograph of the dancers by Ronald Labelle. The background olive tree, a photo by Louise Lemieux Berube. Cotton and linen, 267x528 cm. Collection of Place des Arts in Montreal |
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Detail: Le Dernier Déjeuner sur l'herbe, 2005. |
Were their challenges in working with choreographers? What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
Not really. In the beginning, I was just asking to use photos from their archives. They all said yes immediately when they understood my project. The only restriction was that I could not use their images to do production work, like printing on t-shirts for example. After their approval and choice of photos, I also had to contact each photographer for their permission.
When I decided I would rather use my own photographs, and when I contacted them to do a shoot during their rehearsal, or public performance, it was a bit harder, especially because of tight schedules. Big names are not often in town. Nevertheless, I succeeded in many cases. It was very nice to watch training and rehearsals and shoot with my still camera and sometimes with my video camera. I realized that it was the "work sessions" that interested me the most, not necessarily the public presentations.
One choreographer who works in duo with a Japanese butoh dancer would only give me permission if the shoot was silent during a public presentation. I decided to use my video camera, which I turned 45 degrees in order to get vertical images of them. It was quite funny to see people around me during the shoot and wondering why my camera was turned like that. They probably thought that I did not know much about "photographing" with a video camera. I love this series which I entitled "Flower", which is the title of their choreography.
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Nues au Nordelec, 2011. Jacquard weaving. Dancers shot from a choreography by George Stamos entitled Réservoir pneumatique -- Background : a photo shot by Louise Lemieux Bérubé of a building named Le Nordelec, tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, dyes, 159x216 cm, private collection |
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Un orteil dans le vide 1, 2011. Jacquard weaving. From a choreography by Sandy Bessette and Marie-Claude Roulez, tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, dyes. 200x190 cm. |
Another major theme in your artwork is nature and specifically trees. What is it about trees and nature that inspires you?
Regardless of the direction and the moments of my life, nature has always been a source of meditation and spiritual energy. I once walked for fourteen days through part of the Compostela pilgrimage route in Spain, and I had many occasions to sit down and look at trees around me. I found them different but also the same. The strength and silent presence of them inspire me and provide vitality, stability and peace. Thus, the characters I introduce in my photographic and textile works reflect this necessary communion. Sometimes, when life is difficult and the world becomes "ugly", I wish I would be a tree, a simple tree.
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L'envolée, 2009. Jacquard weaving. From a choreography Sur les glaces du Labrador by Kathy Casey, tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, 158x145 cm. |
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Flower 2, 2010. Jacquard weaving. Dancers video shot from a choreography by Lucie Gregoire and Yoshito Ohno entitled Flower, tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, 180x152 cm. |
Is there any particular place where you go to commune with nature?
There is no specific place. It could be in the city, in a park near my home (Angrignon Park) or on the Mount Royal in the middle of Montreal. It could be "en route" to a country site when our car is parked in nature. It could be when travelling – I always ask where I could walk in a park. I take lots of photographs, without any specific ideas in mind.
One day, when I was traveling in Israel with a friend, I took a few shots of olive trees. I never thought I would use one of those photographs. But when I created "Le dernier déjeuner sur l'herbe" (exhibited as part of the permanent collection of Place des Arts in Montreal), I used one of them as a background behind the 13 dancers. And looking at the result, the title of that piece came to my mind: "le dernier déjeuner", for the "Last Supper" … and "déjeuner sur l'herbe" for the famous Manet painting.
I love adding "my" dancers to nature – with trees behind them.
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Flower 1, 2010. Jacquard weaving. Dancers video shot from a choreography by Lucie Gregoire and Yoshito Ohno entitled Flower tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, dyes, 180x108 cm. |
What is It about your piece Le Dernier Déjeuner sur l'herbe that you feel achieves the highest integration of art to life?
In various ways, this piece represents the work of a choreographer (Fernand Naud,) a photographer (Ronald Labelle,) two painters (Da Vinci, Manet), an author (Dan Brown), thirteen dancers, and lastly, the results of my own endeavours (photography, digital image processing and textile design). In this way, it condenses some of my different experiences; it is a manifesto regarding art, life and the integration of the two.
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Flower 3, 2010. Jacquard weaving. Dancers video shot from a choreography by Lucie Gregoire and Yoshito Ohno entitled Flower, tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, dyes, 150x215 cm. |
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Detail: Flower 3, 2010, Jacquard weaving. Dancers video shot from a choreography by Lucie Gregoire and Yoshito Ohno entitled Flower, tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, dyes, 150x215 cm. |
Seurat inspired your piece Indian Summer. What do you like about Seurat's work?
I love his technique, not particularly his subjects. I like the way he fractions light and colour into multiple dots of colour. The distinct colour dots are similar to what happens when coloured threads are coming on the face of the woven fabric. A pixel of an image, a photograph is being represented by a "dot" of thread.
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Directions, 2010. Jacquard weaving. From a choreography by Christiane Bourget, Tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, dyes, 140x518 cm. |
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Danse à trois, 2009. Jacquard weaving. A choreography by George Stamos entitled Réservoir pneumatique Cotton, wool, linen, 108x108 cm. |
You mention that the weaving that you do with metal wires is a sharp contrast to the warmth of the photographic works. Tell us about that:
The weaving of photographic images is done with pliable, soft to the hand, colour threads. The images attract people and leave no one indifferent. Metal wire weaving is cold, the wires are somewhat rigid and hard to manipulate. There are no real images, just lines and surfaces. People do not even recognize that these works are woven, they look "industrially made" at first sight. They were not woven on a Jacquard loom – it was not really possible to bring sharp photographic images. They are two completely different processes and intentions.
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Triptyque, 2009. Jacquard weaving from a choreography by George Stamos entitled Réservoir pneumatique Tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, dye. 106x182 cm. |
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You and Me, 2009. Jacquard weaving from a choreography by George Stamos entitled Réservoir pneumatique Cotton, wool, linen, 108x108 cm. |
You were invited to participate in the Biennale du lin de Portneuf in 2007. How did the idea originate for the theme Love one Another and how did it develop into the series that was installed in the church of Deschambault?
When I went to the site to choose where I could exhibit my work, most of the artists had already spoken for the different spaces that had been set aside for the exhibition. So I was left with just two choices—a very small room or the interior of a church. Because the room was not adequate for the kind of work I do, I said, "I am going to propose something that can be displayed in the church."
The church of Saint-Joseph de Deschambault is very large. In the interior space, the nave was flanked by a second storey balcony, which had large arches facing each other. I was given both sides of the church to use as my gallery. It was a big area to cover, and at that time, I did not have any idea about what I was going to do. With only three days to make a proposal for a series of woven panels that would work well in that space, I had to think very fast, and as a result, I did not get much sleep. Thinking about linen made me think about textiles. And that made me think about the clothes a person wears that give other people an informative glimpse about what he or she might really be like. Clothes are like the colourful dust jackets you see on some books and the book covers you see on today's laptop computers; they provide a hint—that is not always accurate—of what you will find inside.
All of a sudden, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to use images of people. However, I did not want to photograph dancers who performed a choreographed set of repeatable steps, because the setting for my new body of work would not be a theatrical stage. It would be a church, and I wanted my artwork to have some relation to that religious environment. For the first time in my career as an artist, making a social commentary was more important than making a visual impact on those who would come to see my artwork. So I decided: Okay, my work will be seen in a religious setting. But although I was raised as a Catholic, I do not believe in some of the religious aspects that are associated with the church, because I think that in the history of the world, religions have caused more wars than anything else. So for me, this would not be a religious project. Instead, it would be a spiritual one that would inspire those who saw it, to respect, to value, and to love one another."
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Reflecting Light, 2004. Jacquard weaving Dancers – a photo from Joe (a choreography by Jean-Pierre Perreault) Cotton, linen and metalized sewing threads, 150x108 cm, Private collection. |
You have given a number of workshops both locally and abroad. What do you enjoy about teaching?
I like sharing my knowledge, meeting people, meeting artists, young or established, and I like developing a network. It forces me to continue my research, especially when some questions are raised that are not covered in the program of a specific class. I remember well those occasions that I had to work at night to find a solution for an artist's needs. I learn from teaching. I keep very good relations with the artists and teachers who came to study with me, particularly during those summer sessions.
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Teepee 1, 2006, Jacquard weaving. A photo shot in Yellowknife Cotton, wool, linen --- 150x108 cm, Private collection. |
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Teepee 2 - Abandoned, 2008. Jacquard weaving. A photo shot in Yellowknife Cotton, wool, linen --- 150x108 cm, Private collection. |
What has been your biggest challenge when teaching or delivering speeches and how have you overcome these challenges.
My biggest challenge was at Convergence 2002 (Handweavers' Guild of America bi-annual conference) that took place in Vancouver. It was the second time it was held outside of the United States. That year, three of the four keynote speakers were Canadians, and I was one of the artists who were asked to speak on that occasion.
On the opening night of the conference, approximately 2,000 people were watching a fashion show in a very large auditorium. At the end of the show, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker system. "Don't forget. Tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m., the keynote speaker, Louise Bérubé, will be giving her speech. <…>." After hearing those words and looking around at all of the people who were seated in that huge auditorium, I thought: Oh, my gosh! That will be too much pressure for me! I was very nervous. And all of a sudden, it felt like my stomach was tied up in knots.
When I got back to my hotel room that night, I said, "I have to revise what I am going to say. I have to really go through my text again to be sure about what I have written. It has to be perfect. There will be so many people in that big place who will be listening to me speaking for the first time."
Each time I read it, I got more and more nervous. I spent almost the whole night adding words in some places and deleting some in others. I crossed out lines; I made marginal notes; I threw out a few old paragraphs, and I added some new ones. After adding all of the corrections to my previous text, I was ready to test out what I had come up with by reading it out loud. And then, I started to get sick. I had diarrhea during the night, and I spent a lot of time going back and forth from my bed to the bathroom. I was just too nervous. It was the first time for me to give a speech in English in front of so many people, and the thought of doing it overwhelmed me physically and emotionally for the entire night.
When I arrived at the auditorium on Friday morning, I still felt sick, but the organizer for my presentation said, "It will be fine, so don't worry." Just before I was announced, I made one more trip to the restroom. When I returned, I heard the presenter say, "This morning, Louise Lemieux Bérubé will share her dream in a two-part presentation of Jacquard work done in the 21st century. You will first be taken on a journey where an image will be transformed into a woven textile and where the work of current Jacquard weavers will be shown in an image presentation." I walked over to the podium and began by saying: "I am very nervous." I had to say that, and after saying it, I was fine. "Once I start, I think I will be all right." Looking out at the people who were sitting in their chairs waiting for me to start, I said, "I have a dream—a Jacquard loom for every weaver!" After that, I started to give my speech, and I was very well prepared because I almost knew it by heart.
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City Lights, 2004, Jacquard weaving. A photo of trees shot in Vancouver and photo of windows of the Nordelec building, both shot by Louise L. Bérubé. Cotton, linen and metalized sewing threads, 160x108 cm, Private collection. |
What are the main differences when teaching in your own environment and teaching or speaking in another country?
Not much difference. I very easily feel comfortable anywhere I go. The language remains the main concern. When I teach in a country that neither French nor English is their native language, it facilitates in some way. For example, when I teach in Japan, my vocabulary has to be simple. The challenge is bigger when I teach in England, Australia or in the US. In England or Australia, I have to adjust to their accent; it takes a few days sometimes. Of course speaking in my own language is the easiest! I always prepare and give away very detailed notes. I have an accent myself when I teach in English, so a written text makes everything easier for everyone!
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Louise shooting, Still image from the movie by Radhanat Gagnon. |
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Louise at computer, Photo shot by Patricia Gariépy. |
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Louise weaving, Still image from video shot by Jacques Bérubé. |
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Louise weaving2, Still image from video shot by Jacques Bérubé. |
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Shelves of books, Shot with my iPhone. |
You have written a manual for designers in weaving, Le tissage créateur. Tell us about that:
In 1990, I started to think about writing a book about weaving in general and Jacquard weaving in particular. Would it be difficult to put down my thoughts in a written form that would supplement what I had to say each time I taught my students about the history of the loom? Would it be a time saver for me when it came to teaching a course on advanced weaving? As a teacher, a lot of my time was spent talking about pattern and repetition as it applied to how to wind a warp, how to dress a loom, how to construct a new fabric for the purpose of creating a new work of art and how to deconstruct an old fabric to analyze exactly how it was made.
A program at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal encourages the writing of books that will be used for teaching. The college gets money from the Quebec Ministry of Education each year for that purpose, and a committee is appointed to select one or two projects that have been submitted by teachers or researchers for their consideration. Because there were not many books written in French on Jacquard weaving that would be useful for my students whose goal was to become professional fibre artists, I applied for the opportunity to write my book.
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My Forest, My Cathedral, 2008, Jacquard weaving. Backgroud trees from a photo shot by in Vancouver. The foreground architecture is a photo shot inside the Cathedral in Florence, Italy -- Both shot by Louise L.Berube Cotton, wool, linen, 170x108 cm. |
Your work is in public and private collections in North America and Europe and has been shown all around the world. What does it feel like to be an internationally acknowledged artist?
I never thought I would become an internationally acknowledged artist. Being a weaver is rarely recognized in the art scene, and during the whole of my career, I never stopped saying, "I am a weaver", and weaving is a craft not an art form. Maybe because it is "textile" or "tapestries" that I have been creating, I became on the edge between craft and art. Another thought that I always had throughout all those years is that in many countries, textile art and tapestry are part of the arts (like many other "crafts"). I must say that I am very proud of this, and I make sure I continue to be at this level. I continue to work, work, work, research, I am curious, I am very much involved in the arts. This is my passion.
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Les gardiens du parc, 2011, Jacquard weaving. From a photograph shot in Vancouver Cotton, linen, dyes --- 140x108 cm, Private collection. |
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L'été en couleur, 2011, Jacquard weaving. From a photograph shot in Vancouver Cotton, linen, dyes --- 160x108 cm, Private collection. |
What interests you about the World of Threads Festival?
The World of Threads Festival is a great opportunity to show your work. And it is a very diversified Festival. It reaches many different audiences. It is a well-established and well-run organization. I realize this very well at this very moment.
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Lights of the Solstice, 2004. Jacquard weaving Background : a photo on the St-Lawrence river, shot near my home in LaSalle. Foreground : a photo of North American Indians shot by Anna Crawford, Cotton, linen and metalized sewing threads, 160x108 cm. |
Your work was exhibited in the World of Threads Festival 2014. What was your motivation for submitting?
I have not shown my work often and much in the Toronto area. I do not think many people know my work. I wanted to reach a new audience.
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La ronde 2, 2011, Jacquard weaving. From a choreography Sur les glaces du Labrador by Kathy Casey, tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, dyes, 159x216 cm, Private collection. |
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La course 2, 2011. Jacquard weaving. From a choreography Sur les glaces du Labrador by Kathy Casey, tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, dyes, 149x216 cm, Private collection. |
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Un orteil dans le vide 2, 2011, Jacquard weaving. From a choreography by Sandy Bessette and Marie-Claude Roulez, tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, 155x216 cm. |
Is there a particular art related book that you refer to on a regular basis or from which you draw inspiration?
I do not really have one single book, or a few, that I refer to for inspiration. I tend to buy many books. I own more than two hundred books on art, textile art, textile techniques, etc. I take them when I need to look on a very specific subject. Many of them are books on contemporary textiles, including smart textiles. I buy and read very carefully the Textile Forum magazine (from Germany). I consider it as the best textile magazine ever produced. It contains many different aspects of the textile art medium, from museum, ethnic, industrial, contemporary, and other aspects. It is very up to date. Inspiration comes from nature, art exhibitions, etchings, Internet opportunities, film and short films I look at every day, photography, so not necessarily from "textiles" alone, rarely from textiles alone.
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The Song of Songs, 2006, Jacquard weaving. From a choreography entitled La Cérémonie by Fernand Nault. The photograph of the dancers by Ronald Labelle --- The background olive tree, a photo by Louise L.Berube. Slide panels were covered with gold paper and embroidered with versus of The Song of Songs. Cotton, linen, gold paper, embroidery, 218x242 cm. |
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Questioning, 2005, Jacquard weaving. From a choreography entitled La Cérémonie by Fernand Nault. The photograph of the dancers by Ronald Labelle. The foreground architecture is a photo by Louise Lemieux Berube shot inside the Cathedral in Florence, Italy, Cotton, linen, 148x206 cm. |
Is there something else about you or your work that you would like us to know?
From 2008 to 2012, I have been working with Carole Greene (living in Los Angeles) on my biography. Carole had invited me to work with her (without paying any fee) on this project. She had already written two or three biographies on textiles artists (from the US) and she said my career was of great interest to her. This publication was launched in October 2012, at the opening of a solo show in LaSalle, when I was honoured by the municipality as one of two important artists recognized during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of LaSalle. There are two publications, one in English and one in French. (I would like to say here that some parts of my answers here in this interview are extracts from my biography written in English by Carole)?
Louise Lemieux Bérubé, Unwinding the threads (biography by Carole Greene and Louise Lemieux Bérubé, published at Blurb.com in 2012, now on Amazon, and, in French, under the title: Louise Lemieux Bérubé, En déroulant la trame.
For the same celebration of the 100th anniversary of LaSalle, a video (in French) was produced on my work by Radhanath Gagnon; it can be seen on vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/50391996
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Joe No 3, 2012, Jacquard weaving. From a choreography by Jean-Pierre Perreault, cotton, linen and dyes, 160x108cm, Private collection. |
Do you have any upcoming shows?
Apart from my World of Threads Festival solo show, I have been invited to participate in the From Lausanne to Beijing 8th biennale. I have sent one of my metal woven pieces entitled The Run. It will be my 6th exhibition in China (I just learned that I have received a prize of excellence in that show). Last year, at the National Silk Museum, I sold two large pieces. It was an exhibition on Jacquard weavings with six artists, one from six different countries; I was the one from Canada.
I am planning to present my Love One Another series in different Maisons de la culture in Montréal – but this is not yet confirmed.
On the other hand, I am getting very much involved in "paper work". I make etchings, collagraphs and artist books, in an artist-run printing studio in LaSalle. I will be participating in three exhibitions during the coming season. My first 6-edition of an artist book was finished a couple weeks ago, and I am looking forward to showing it soon.
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