Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge and Pilot Editions are pleased to invite you to the launch of the book Wall+Paper in Rochester, NY on October 14, 2017, noon–5pm at Visual Studies Workshop during their annual Pub Fair.
The book Wall+Paper is a collection of written and photographic exchanges on paper between artist Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge and a group of prisoners serving life sentences across the country. In her introduction letter, Leblanc-Roberge asked her collaborators if they were interested to create a series of images through specific questions: the descriptions of the spaces in which they live and those they are longing for and dreaming about. By weaving together curated fragments of the letters received and the images sent, multiple voices emerge to form micro-conversations between all participants. Drawing a poetical statement and/or a map of these ambiguous institutional spaces, this project is not an attempt to ‘break’ the thick wall of the prison nor to depict the disturbing American mass incarceration statistics, it is rather an attempt to trigger curiosity from all sides, to activate spaces that are often invisible or overlooked, and to explore themes of displacement and memory. The book acts as mobile exhibition device so that everyone can access the work produced.
The project was initiated during a three-month residency at Visual Studies Workshop in the fall of 2014 and was awarded a Project Grant to Visual Artists from the Canada Council for the Arts in 2015. The book Wall+Paper is published and distributed by Publication Studio Hudson (NY). All the profits from selling these books will be sent to the collaborators and/or donated to organizations working on prisoner rights and/or reinvested in organizing events connected to the project. Leblanc-Roberge thanks the University of Rochester for its generous support to the project.
contact@evelynelr.space if you have questions.