French author and philosopher Gwenaëlle Aubry has offered new insights into the connection between visual artist M.C. Escher's impossible architectures and Georges Perec's literary explorations, particularly through the metaphor of "the stairwell cage." In a recent discussion featured on "Le Souffle de la pensée" (The Breath of Thought), Aubry examined how both artists challenged conventional perceptions of space and reality.
Aubry's central thesis revolves around her interpretation of reading Georges Perec as an act of intellectual rebellion. "To read Perec is to refuse to get used to the world as it is," she explained during the program. This perspective positions Perec's experimental literature alongside Escher's visual paradoxes as forms of resistance against accepting reality at face value.
The concept of "the stairwell cage" serves as a crucial metaphor in Aubry's analysis, drawing parallels between Escher's famous impossible staircases and Perec's literary constructions. Just as Escher's staircases loop endlessly without logical progression, Aubry suggests that Perec's writing creates similar spaces of perpetual questioning and exploration that resist simple interpretation.
The discussion, which is available for later listening on the program's platform, explores how both artists use spatial concepts to challenge readers and viewers to reconsider their assumptions about structure, logic, and meaning. Aubry's commentary provides a fresh perspective on how artistic works can serve as tools for questioning established norms and encouraging critical thinking about the world around us.
