In June 2016, I settled alone at the Créac’h semaphore to pursue research on the color of the sky.
I focused on the connections between the shades of the sea and those of the sky, and how the weather influenced their chromatic variations.
Every day, I took photos of the horizon and closely followed both marine and terrestrial weather reports. With the VHF radio near my bed or on my desk, I recorded messages from Cross Corsen, strike announcements from Météo France, and the metallic voice of the marine weather forecast, which doesn’t know how to read commas.
Using this material, I experimented with digitally transforming the images before defining two monochromes: an average of the color of the sky and an average of the color of the sea. This process resulted in two distinct color values, separated by a line—the horizon.
This project, analyzing the blue of the sky, evolved throughout the residency and continues to develop today, exploring formats such as postcards, wallpapers, and flags.
Upon my return from Ouessant, I created a series of blue flags derived from the hues of different fair-weather skies.
Inspired by Tibetan prayer flags that are read by the wind in the mountains, ex-votos that ask for favorable weather for departing sailors, beach flags, and the cyanometer, these flags offer a new way to interpret the weather.
I recently had the opportunity to install this cyanometer of flags outdoors on the B.O.A.T. (the vessel of the European Academy of Art in Brittany) during a residency onboard. Interestingly, this same boat had also been in residency in Ouessant at the same time.
This research continues today with the project of installing my cyanometer at the summit of Mont Blanc, where it was originally conceived.
