Le battement d'aile d'un papillon, a close-up on La Fraterie's art work

"Le Battement d'Aile d'Un Papillon" by La Fraterie,

2010

The title of this piece was inspired by Edward Lorenz’s famous question: “Can a butterfly flapping his wings in Brazil provoke a tornado in Texas?” This interrogation originated the “Butterfly Effect” theory and refers to the foundation of chaos. In a nutshell, a simple mistake can have a disproportionate influence on a given situation.

Karim and Luc’s piece winks at this theory and proposes to reflect on it.

The sculpture takes the shape of a levitated tropical hut. Mounted on a rock, the ensemble seems to be facing a violent storm. This scene, other than its reference to climate change, can be seen as a metaphor of existence. Can we measure the impact simple events and daily acquaintances have on our lives?

Some of our experiences feel like hurricanes. However, we should acknowledge the fact that although the hut is bending it is not braking. Therefore, one should not underestimate the strength of human nature.