Ode was conceived for the exhibition “Panorama 20.” It comprises the figuration of five gongs conceived by the artist and made in China using ancient methods in a bronze foundry in a village in Hubei Province. On one side of each gong the artist engraved a spontaneous calligraphic mark, using what is a recurring language in his work. On the other side a spiral is engraved. Each gong comes with a hammer constituted by a pebble with linen string. The hammer is set in motion by the movement of visitors, as detected by an infrared sensor. Each detector then activates the movement of the hammer by means of an electro-mechanical system. Thus, each visitor is the composer of a shared melody. The work also includes a big screen showing the video of a performance recorded in the state forest of Mormal in Hauts-de-France.

The work “Ode” refers to the oldest collection of Chinese poetry, the Book of Odes, containing works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC . This volume is divided into three distinct sections: custom, elegance, ode