©Les Nivaux, Cross the Scan - Abbey road, photograph 8.30x4.02m.
It is to bring to life the scene of the pedestrian crossing made famous by the Beatles around the world.
The work is a high definition photograph, of the most famous passages pedestrian. Printed at full size and glued to the ground in exact orientation, the artists invite the public to walk on the work, in the footsteps of the Beatles, to live their own journey by immortalizing it, photographing it and sharing it... as they do every day in London hundreds of enthusiasts from all over the world.
A true open, participatory and reflective work, Cross the Scan - Abbey Road revolutionizes the work / public relationship. It offers itself to the public as a stage open to free crossing, free expression and free dissemination. and makes the viewer an actor, creator and broadcaster. It sometimes becomes the time of an event a real stage for performers, dancers...
Questioning both the status of reality and the hyperpresence of the subject in photography, Cross the Scan / Abbey Road also questions social phenomena such as fan attitude and these places that have become essential pilgrimages. The Nivaux invite us to a sociological and philosophical reflection on means of an eminently contemporary art, integrating current technologies, collective memory and new behaviors.
To perfect the copy/paste of the London scene, artists call on partners such as Viewsurf (European leader of the tourist webcam), to install a connected camera and broadcast the time of the exhibition, the new Abbey road H24 stage, as is the case in London.
©Les Nivaux, Exhibition during the Nuit Blanche Paris 2016 & Avignon Festival Parcours de l'artl, 2018
©Les Nivaux, séance de scan au Memorial Lincoln à Washington USA 2020
Cross the Scan
Abbey Road
La parole de ce touriste démontre bien l'importance et le besoin de se rendre sur un lieu qui a marqué notre histoire à tous. Ces lieux sont notre mémoire commune, véritables témoins de l'histoire. L'importance aussi d'y être "en lieu et place", d'y organiser des commémorations… C'est tout l'enjeu du travail artistique des artistes.
Avec leur concept de photoportation, ils y apportent une autre dimension, qui est de faire vivre ailleurs, de se faire rencontrer et croiser les histoires pour en créer une nouvelle. Un dialogue s’engage entre l’œuvre et les sols sur lesquels les artistes décident de la coller. Le choix même du lieu influe sur le sens et la portée de l’œuvre.
Un extrait de l'œuvre a ainsi été photoporté lors de la Biennale d'art contemporain de Dakar 2022, accompagnée d'une projection du discours, ce qui a embrayé sur des discussions, des réflexions et a rallumé l'émotion pour bon nombre de personnes.
©Les Nivaux, scan session at Abbey Road London.
"I can't believe I'm standing here. This is amazing !"