Opening: Thursday, January 15th, 6 p.m
Somewhere between disappearance and survival, the flickering of fireflies is one of the most sensitive metaphors of our time. Symptoms of profound imbalance and premonitions of extinction, they reflect the unease of a world in which lights—amid floods, droughts, fires, and conflicts—first sparkle, then grow scarce, and finally give way to zones of indeterminacy at the heart of the visible. In the face of this loss, it is crucial to recognize light—dim, intermittent, yet significant—as a warning sign.
Drawing on the work of Pier Paolo Pasolini and Georges Didi-Huberman, this exhibition highlights the importance of reconsidering what still shines. The “threshold of detectability” evoked by Eyal Weizman in his Manifesto for Forensic Architecture prompts a fundamental reflection on the conditions of the visible. Without aiming to match the legal significance of counter-forensics, we begin with that threshold and consider the disappearance of fireflies as a potential manifestation of agency-
Light, when considered in terms of its fundamental effectiveness, allows us to measure both the dramatic darkening of certain regions and the excessive illumination of others, as evidenced by satellite records and terrestrial observations. Based on these residual flashes, artistic creations depict various forms of attention in territories affected by climatic, ecological, social, or war-related changes. The works included in this exhibition, along with those presented during the accompanying international colloquium, therefore encourage us to look beyond silence and recognize the promise of hope in each light, however fragile.
At the invitation of BIENALSUR, the Master’s Degree in Artistic Creation, Research and Practice in the Art World, and the Mirail Centre for Artistic Initiatives, seven national and international artists are taking part in La Fabrique, a multidisciplinary arts venue at the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès. Art theorists, lawyers, and curators share their perspectives—rejecting any prophetic alarmism—to reaffirm a collective responsibility: to protect what remains, support what is faltering, and make blind spots visible. Through these practices, knowledge, and experiences, we cultivate forms of vigilance and attention that can transform every spark into a space of resistance.
Image: Nicolás Combarro, Arquitectura y represión ll - Carcel de Carabanchel, 2022