Arprim has been transformed into a brightly coloured construction zone. For their exhibition The Big Clean-Up artists Guillaume Brisson-Darveau and Pascaline Knight covered the walls and floors of the gallery space with hand-made wallpaper in a riot of sharply contrasting geometric patterns, all screen-printed on Tyvec Homewrap. The motifs are inspired by road signage and industrial construction materials, creating a jarring, chaotic environment.

You’ll have to take off your shoes to wander through the installation, adding to the playfulness of the experience as you immerse yourself in this artwork on stockinged feet. The centre of the room is dominated by a huge construction, also papered over, reminiscent of a bulldozer. In fact, the entire room seems to be a hallucinogenic construction site. Walk all the way around the object and you’ll discover a small entrance. Inside the ‘bulldozer’ sits a small TV, showing an episode from a disaster-type reality show on the Discovery channel, where an armoured construction vehicle runs amok in a residential neighbourhood, ramming into homes, flattening random vehicles, and generally wreaking havoc. This video is the key to the exhibition, playfully exposing our obsession with protection while we are fascinated with disaster.

If you don’t like taking your shoes off, you can go on a virtual stroll here:

Arprim, space 426
Guillaume Brisson-Darveau and Pascaline Knight
Le Grand Dérangement / The Big Clean-up
January 14 – February 18, 2012
www.arprim.org