A fourteen-minute video made by François-Xavier Courrèges in 2003, Fusion shows a candle bearing the effigy of Ernest and Bart, two characters from The Muppets, spinning in slow motion in front of a coloured paper background. The birthday candle and multi-coloured decor evoke a joyful pop world associated with childhood, but the repetition of a musical loop gives the video a tragic storyline tone as the wax liquefies and the characters burn up before the viewer’s eyes. With the simplest of means François-Xavier Courrèges succeeds in developing a reflection on our vulnerability to time. By cultivating a post-romanticism between dismay and amusement, the artist accurately evokes feelings of love and the fragility of beings. Fusion recalls another film entitled Another Paradise (2005) showing two birds in love that nothing seems to be able to separate beyond death.

Text written by Rosanne Moulin as part of the partnership between the École du Louvre and Lafayette Anticipations – Fonds de dotation Famille Moulin.

Exhibition