Experiencing Architecture Anew: The Villa as a Timepiece
Reactivating a Modernist Landmark
During Les Rencontres d'Arles, American artists Gerard & Kelly introduced 'On Time,' a unique site-specific project at Villa Benkemoun. This initiative aims to breathe new life into Émile Sala's 1970s organic residence, temporarily restoring it to a state of daily occupation. This latest work continues the Paris-based artists' ongoing investigation into modernist architecture, building on previous installations at esteemed locations like Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye and Eileen Gray's E-1027. However, 'On Time' shifts its focus from merely admiring architectural icons to immersing itself in lived experience, contemplating how a house, now functioning as a museum, can once again embody the essence of a home.
The Villa as a Dynamic Clockwork
Central to Gerard & Kelly's 'On Time' is their performance, 'Clockwork,' which features two performers who reside within the villa overnight and enliven it throughout the day. At predetermined intervals, they navigate the various rooms, vocalizing fragments of memories, dancing, and executing choreographed sequences that respond to the building's inherent spatial logic. Over a span of four days, the house itself evolves into a living clock, with the performers' bodies and voices acting as its kinetic hands, marking the passage of time through their presence and movement.
From Museum to Lived Reality
Curator Raphaël Giannesini explains that the project's genesis stemmed directly from Villa Benkemoun's evolving status. Invited by Brigitte Benkemoun, whose family originally commissioned the house, Giannesini has been developing an artistic program that redefines the villa as a space capable of fostering innovative forms of inhabitation. Following an initial exhibition that celebrated the villa's history through archival materials, he sought a fundamentally different approach. Giannesini articulated, 'This house has transformed into a museum, but how can we reclaim its original purpose? Ultimately, it is a place designed for living.'
Embracing the Rhythms of Inhabitation
Gerard & Kelly consciously chose to remove many of the existing objects from the villa's interior, thereby allowing the architectural purity of the structure to come to the fore. The spaces are then animated through movement, expressive gestures, and the routines of daily life. The performers assume the role of temporary inhabitants, whose personal narratives intertwine with the historical echoes embedded within the house itself, blurring the lines between immediate experience and past recollections. This methodology aligns with the artists' broader artistic endeavors, which frequently explore the intricate interplay between choreographic expression and modern architectural forms. While their previous works have been presented in canonical houses associated with figures such as Le Corbusier or Mies van der Rohe, Villa Benkemoun offers a distinct challenge. Designed by French architect Émile Sala in the early 1970s, the residence bears the accumulated imprints of family life alongside its architectural aspirations, presenting what Giannesini describes as 'a lived modernism,' a concept integral to the 'On Time' installation.
Architecture's Temporal Narrative
The very design of the building profoundly influences the performance. Sala's vision for the villa incorporated flowing curves that seamlessly connect interior spaces with the surrounding landscape. The structure's distinctive tower introduces a vertical axis, drawing attention to the continuous flow of time. Giannesini posits that the house is 'more a subject of time than of space,' observing that the performers effectively become the hands of a clock as they circulate throughout the architectural space. Their movements are not externally imposed but emerge in direct response to the villa's geometry, inherent rhythms, and circulatory paths. As the curator poetically describes, 'the villa itself is a dancing villa,' an active participant in the unfolding narrative.
Interventions and Everyday Rhythms
In conjunction with the live performances, Gerard & Kelly have integrated several artistic elements that reinforce the project's focus on temporal themes. These include contrasting digital clocks, a score drawing, and 'Défense de rire' (2025), a wall lamp designed to illuminate at each passing hour. Dispersed throughout the villa, these interventions become integral components of the immersive experience. Over three days, the villa is re-inhabited as performers sleep within its walls at night and return to its spaces throughout the day. Their actions trace familiar routes and everyday gestures, imbuing the house with a distinct rhythm during the vibrant opening week of Les Rencontres d'Arles.