Patrick Bernier and Olive Martin's Performance Challenges Immigration and Copyright Laws

In an interview with Audrey Chan, artists Patrick Bernier and Olive Martin discuss their ongoing performance project "X. c/ Préfet de…, Plaidoirie pour une jurisprudence" (2007-ongoing), which juxtaposes the legal status of an author versus an undocumented immigrant facing deportation in France. The project features a character named X, who is both an illegal immigrant and an author of an immaterial site-specific work. Lawyers Sylvia Preuss-Laussinotte and Sébastien Canevet argue before an audience acting as judge, aiming to establish a legal precedent that would allow X to stay. The work critiques the expansion of copyright law alongside diminishing immigrant rights. Originally developed during a residency at Les Laboratoires d'Aubervilliers in 2007, iterations have been presented in France, Belgium, and Austria. Bernier's separate work explores hospitality and hosting, while Martin's projects address identity through Agamben's concept of 'whatever singularity.' The interview was conducted in July at their home in Nantes.