My Mobile Studio and Travel Gear
Part of the year, I create on the road, in the nomadic spirit of travel, and the other part, I return to my studio in Montreal to follow up on my creative impulses. A portion of my art is thus born from the instant and the unforeseen, while another part deepens over time and reflection. Here, I present the more nomadic aspect of my practice, as it unfolds during travel.
Travel is for me an inexhaustible source of creation; it stimulates my imagination in a unique way. Whether through brief stopovers or extended stays, each journey becomes fertile ground where creativity can flourish.
When I set out on the road, I don’t seek to reproduce a predefined framework: I let the places invite me to pause and invent my own ephemeral residencies. Does a place inspire me? I take time to explore the surroundings until an idea rises to the surface. That’s when I settle down to capture images, in photos or videos, around a concept that is born freely, without forcing. My nomadic art is spontaneous: it feeds on the territory and on what I live in the moment.
The Salt Lake, Siwa Oasis, Egypt
I can create conceptual works in situ. This is how series such as La Chrysalide, Le rideau des sens, Fann / Laver, or Le voile des mémoires came to life. Sometimes, the impulse even pushes me to imagine full installations. Back in the space I have chosen as a temporary residence, I can continue the exploration: using my mini-projectors to create photo-projections.
My creations are profoundly multidisciplinary and highly spontaneous. My nomadic art requires almost no preparation: it is the territory and the lived experiences that trigger the idea and the conceptual momentum. All my equipment fits into a single backpack. The complementary objects? I find them on-site, often tied to the local culture and rich with meaning.
Practicing nomadic art also means experiencing an adventure in the field, where conditions can sometimes be difficult, unpredictable, and marked by a certain austerity. Creative gestures must constantly adapt, in a setting that is more unstable than the fixed, more routine studio.
Yet the sense of freedom and the discovery of the unknown more than make up for these constraints. Choosing to step voluntarily into a zone of discomfort thus becomes a key to nurturing and sustaining the flow of inspiration.
In a tuk-tuk on the way to Siwa Oasis, nestled in Egypt’s Western Desert near the Libyan border, heading to the salt lake. Between desert and palm groves, an open-sky pause in the journey, carried by the desert breeze.
On the road, every detour, every encounter, every silence can become the starting point of a work. Art is then experienced as a moving, living process, free, open, and always connected to the places and moments traversed.
The Nomadic Studio, the Gear
All my equipment fits into a backpack: MacBook, projector, cellphone, tripod… This minimalist gear allows me to create anywhere, and I often complete it with objects found on-site, tied to the local culture. Thus, each project already carries the imprint of the place where it was born.
Spontaneous residency, Niakh Niakhal studio, Petite Côte, Senegal.
Nomadic equipment: mini projectors and tripods, MacBook Air, mobile phone.
To Go Further Into My Nomadic Art Exploration
Almost all the creations offered in this shop are captured while traveling. Here, I present mostly my photographs and photo-projections. This shop is a window: a space to acquire a piece of my universe.
Some works created in situ, born directly from this nomadic practice while traveling, such as Fann / Laver or Le voile des mémoires, are revealed in more detail on my artist website daniellelamontagne.art.
The Chrysalide, performance, photographs and videos, Danielle Lamontagne, 2024.
The veil of memories, performance, photographs and videos, Danielle Lamontagne, 2025.