An architectural form (project) is fundamentally conceived as a shelter for mankind's necessity for intimacy and security. The shelter then becomes inseparable to human survival, hiding them from the scrutiny and intrusive gaze of others. Having been built with strong materials, the shelter - the house - becomes a shell that provides safety. Paradoxically, these magnificent structures also reveal the lack of security that persists in our society.

In the exhibition Doux chez soi, Sylvain Lessard questions this intensification of the idea of safety that is represented in architectural projects, such as houses, by questioning the traditional representation of the shelter. In fact, if houses were to symbolize the level of vulnerability we dwell in, they would exist as skinless bodies that would deprive the human being of this artificial and fictitious safety. Indeed, in his works, Sylvain Lessard displays the structure of the house as flesh, tearing apart ideas of solidity and honestly exposing the fragility of mankind.

Biography

Sylvain Lessard graduated from l'école d'architecture de l'Université de Montréal in 1997. Since then, his practice is split between architecture and visual arts. Since 2005, his artistic projects revolve around ideas of protection, exploring the fundamentals of all architectural structures and the sense of security embodied in the notion of shelter.