Les Amants (Cascade)
(Maastricht / Mosae Forum 21-37,)
Noémie Goudal (1984, France) has a strong fascination for the exact point where ‘nature’ and ‘culture’ meet or, as she puts it, for the organic that has entered life through human intervention. Goudal is also very interested in theatre. Both interests she combines in the series Les Amants that comprises Promenade and, on show here, Cascade.
Cascade has a melancholic, almost nostalgic feel to it that invites the viewer to daydream about imaginary worlds. Reality, however, is quite different; upon further notice a promising idyllic waterfall consists of mere plastic sheets draped into a would-be valley. Goudal challenges the reference system of the viewer by skilfully handling our dreams, fantasies, fears and obsessions. To the iconic image of the waterfall, so often depicted in traditional landscape art, is added a further aspect that positions itself at the dividing line between fabrication and real life.