a plus o minus Objects


(104 Objects)
https://a-plus-o-min.us

α + ο - is a collaborative curatorial practice, with the observation of objects as its primary focus. Nastassia Cougoulat Montel and I ran it from 2013 to 2015. It aims to engage the viewer in a conversation about pop culture through the mix of objects, from leftovers to art pieces to consumables, with no hierarchy between them. Through the prism of α + ο -, objects are seen as the notes and tones used to write music, or as the combinations of signs supporting languages and speech. 

The research process of α + ο - starts with a constant onlooker attitude: we often discover objects by chance while on the move, as the eye lets some things go and picks out others. The process is then refined through multiple phases: selection, extraction, juxtaposition and presentation.

The selection stems from a careful validation process, with visual appeal, heterogeneity, social values and cultural idioms as criteria. Each object is chosen for a precise quality, and together they form a motley whole. Our catalogue holds 104 objects, each with its caption. 

A photoshoot of the objects constitutes the extraction phase. Photographed on a white background, then carefully clipped, the objects become pack-shots that appear ‘neutral’ and disconnected from ‘real-life’ situations. 

The website a-plus-o-min.us is a showcase, a collection, a catalogue and a database, connecting, juxtaposing and mixing cross-cultural elements (objects). 

In physical contexts of presentation, such as an exhibition or a nightclub, objects can be presented and used as ready-mades, gestures, ingredients or even representations. 

Inspired by the methods of advertising and merchandising, and by attitudes inherited from the contemporary art field, α + ο - engages critical thinking on the relation between humans and consumerism, and on the emotion that consumption stirs. Its slogan: ‘Fondre le stress, geler le style’ [Melt the stress, freeze the style].

α + ο -
Arthur Fouray
α + ο -
Nastassia Cougoulat Montel



2 0 6 4
NCW MCU
CC Frozen
CENDRE BLEUE
Campbell's
CONDENSED
Tomato 
SOUP
C∞L MINT
Freeze Pops
EVIAN
meiji APOLLO
JP Cone
Generoso
CLIPPER
Gyosa Gyosa Gyosa
BLACK LIGHT
G.d.C.
P.H.
CP
icemelon
KANRO
JAPAN
smokers
EMERALD
MOUNTAIN
Blend
TOMICA #69
MS Club
Slim
Cool Stock
Collagen
Top
NASTASSIA 27/04/96
Lizzie Fitch
Ryan Trecartin
Matcha Tea Jelly
WHITE
OUT
Travel chopsticks
-
-
-
CLASSIC
Gran Soleil
Pitaya
Extra
Dessert Delights
@ @ @
@ @ @ @
s o l i d
CALPIS
SINCE 1919
CHOCOBO
éc a  l
✭ Chilsing
cider
Earth Living
MIRACLE BODY V
Coolish Coolish
de Serena
avec Amour <3
NAKATA
FurReal Friends
Hop 'n Cuddle Bunnies
FRIZET T 200
Stack
Y
EASY
CHEESE
Maionese
2 phasen
felgenreiniger
TIGER BALM
YOGA
Boss BOSS BOSS
The
Golden
kola
Mtn
DEW
Contemporary Art Daily
AGAR-AGAR POWDER
(FOOD ADDITIVE)
G°ld3n T3a
FOCO
COCONUT JUICE
V8
FLORANIS
EXPORT
✭ Swiss Net ®
FALIM
FALIM
FALIM
FALIM
FALIM
QUICK CARE (- - - - - -)
angeBob
Broken
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
Klimatronic
Harissa
FERRERO
ORIGINAL
VEGETABIL
THON
C00L
PNK BL
YOGISTAR.COM
SPEED
Racer
Quynh Anh Jackfruit Chips
Max
Delicious idea
Cuore
avantgarde
Friendly  ®
GREY-POUPON
FLUXFEST
SALE
GALLERY 360°
ORO
SMART
GUM
APPLES & EGGS
SALT & PEPPER
21/07
22/07
American
Cheddar
Sharp Cheddar
RT4A
Nastee
Turkish Coffee
Cabourg
golden gift
¥
LA GRAZIA DI ( UN ) GESTO
Piña Colada
in a bag ®
THE
DISNEY
STORE
MJ MJ MJ MJ
PLATINIUM
Chip Star chip star
Bilitis
FELCE AZZURRA
Classico
PEARL RIVER BRIDGE
𝄞 Baldessari sings LeWitt
COTE D'AMOUR
CONCEPT & CREATION
Café de Flore
PARIS

a plus o minus Entourage





















Entourage II

2014

(8 Objects – 9 Interventions)


Collaborative artistic and curatorial project by Arthur Fouray and Nastassia Cougoulat Montel, at the invitation of Julien Gremaud, Think Tank.


10 installation views by Julien Gremaud.


Around the Lucerne magazine on electronic cultures zweikommasieben, Entourage was organised by Think Tank, which invited Call Super, a British DJ, exclusively for the occasion. Into it were inserted the artistic interventions of a young Parisian duo of artists: α + ο -, for Arthur Fouray and Nastassia Cougoulat Montel. 

The interventions fade into the experience of the nightclub, with ‘Nice People Stamp’ welcoming the onlooker inside the nightclub, a ‘Baby Blue Cocktail’ available at the bar, ‘α + ο - tarps’ and ‘Glossy Posters’ covering the walls, ‘Rings of Light’ behind the DJ booth, ‘Ice Lighting Gels’ spreading a blue atmosphere, outshone by ‘Love Disco-Ball’, and finally a vitrine on the balcony of Romandie, a carte blanche to artist L**** K****, illuminated by ‘Black Light Lamps’. After a first edition in 2012 in the form of Bring Your Own Beamer, Think Tank tried total aesthetic immersion in the spirit of α + ο -, answering in its own way the minimalist graphics of zweikommasieben.



Black Light Lamps
Glossy Posters
Baby Blue Cocktail
Nice People Stamp
Love Disco-Ball
Ice Lighting Gels
α + ο - tarp
Rings of Light