Roman Signer's Kayak Interview and Explosive Sculpture at Château de Montsoreau

Christophe Le Gac recounts a kayak interview with Swiss artist Roman Signer on the Loire River, leading up to Signer's 'carte blanche' exhibition at Château de Montsoreau-Musée d'art contemporain (July 6–November 6, 2019). During the drift, Signer discussed his artistic influences: his early work as a technical draftsman for Oskar Hansen and Jacques Couëlle (inventor of bubble houses), his fascination with smoke signals from Adalbert Stifter's novel 'Der Nachsommer', and a formative encounter in communist Poland where a young man scattered blank A4 sheets in the street—an act that inspired Signer's 'Aktion mit Papierblättern' at Documenta 8 (1987). The interview culminates in the description of Signer's action-sculpture 'Gymnastikball' on July 6, 2019: a blue yoga ball topped with a white drone, placed on a barrel and detonated with Swiss black powder on a sandbank across from the château. Philippe Méaille, director of the museum and major collector of Art & Language, highlighted the black-and-white photography on the second floor and the upcoming performance. Signer's concept of 'emotional sculpture' seeks to capture the present through anticipation and protocol.