Artist Léa Boudreau was granted a six-month creative residency by the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Insectarium in 2025. Her work, entitled sous les bogues, will be exhibited as part of the 18th Art Souterrain Festival in downtown Montreal, April 25 to May 10.
Léa creates sound, visual, interactive, and site-specific pieces that connect humans to hybrid, ambiguous creatures. These creatures exist on the cusp between technology and nature, between movement and stillness. Her work questions inter-species relationships and the hierarchies that divide our world.
In keeping with its mission to promote the appreciation of insects, the Insectarium supports artistic creations inspired by the rich and fascinating world of insects.
Drawing inspiration from insect communication methods
Léa Boudreau’s project took the form of an electronic and sound installation entitled sous les bogues, inspired by the vibrational and rhythmic communication methods observed in many insects and other arthropods.
The work presents a swarm composed of some sixty small handmade automaton creatures. These are arranged in a canopy under which the public is invited to enter.
The creatures’ movements about are linked to the light intensity of their environment. As they move around, their mechanical systems emit sounds that recall machinery as well as the buzzing of cicadas, crickets, and other insects symbolizing the summer season.
The critters react to the light in their environment: by coming to life, their hardware emits noise reminiscent of the hum of a machine, as well as the buzzing of crickets, grasshoppers, and other “creepy-crawlies” emblematic of the summer season. The term “bogue” (from the English word bug, meaning an insect, but also a computer glitch) is a nod to the relationship between insects and technology, whether it be through terminology—the Web, “spiderweb”—or even inspirational—biomimicry and intelligence distributed in robotics and software, for example.
Biography – Léa Boudreau
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Léa Boudreau is an artist, maker and educator based in Montréal. She works with DIY electronics, sound and found material, creating installative and sculptural art inspired by the nonhuman world, whether it is animal, mechanical, inanimate or immaterial. Her work has been exhibited and performed internationally in festivals, music venues and art spaces (Sonorities Belfast, OTTOsonics Austria, MUTEK Montréal, BEAST Birmingham, Mixtur Barcelona), and recognized through multiple awards and bursaries. |
 Photo: Diana Rioux |
Léa attaches great importance to knowledge sharing through the teaching of creative workshops and the democratization of their related skills. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Digital music from Université de Montréal and a MFA (Studio Arts, Intermedia) from Concordia University.
For more information about the artist, visit Léa Boudreau's website.