Sirène Domestique Recovered engine, metal, petg, wood, junction box, cable. Sirene Domestique is a reproduction of the public warning siren heard on the first Wednesday of every month in France. This state-run device, which is still in use today, is designed to alert the population in the event of danger. With his installation, the artist is reappropriating this technology, and at the same time making a criticism of authoritarian design. It's the same siren that's supposed to sound in the event of any kind of danger. But nowadays, no-one can recognise the different actions required to get out of danger (taking refuge on high ground or, on the contrary, sheltering in basements). Élie Bolard came up with the idea that it would be so much more interesting to decide together, democratically, how to use this siren. Like the sirens in the street, the siren on display here is not activated, but it is plugged in: it could be triggered at any time. For a tool that is supposed to protect the population, it is interesting to note the ambiguity dů to the fact that people are frightened by its possible activation. The tension between fear and necessity is ultimately a food for thought.
←