The introduction of the ruler, and more generally of mathematics and geometry at the beginning of primary school is consistent with a general rigidification of the learning process in terms of experience. It is no longer a time for play and drawing; for intuitive and multi-sensory exploration of an unlimited space but more to a a metric spatial relationship.
‘Un Trait d’Humour’ considers school rulers as agents of a certain pedagogical philosophy, carrying, at best the exercise of a form of control, at worst the threat of punishment. The installation strives to defuse this embodied anxiety by making fun of it: over time, caramel rulers will bend under their own weight, then start dripping before they finally collapse, making Un trait d’Humour an act of reappropriation.
![Un Trait d’Humour by Claire Ebendinger considers school rulers as agents of a certain pedagogical philosophy](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_lossless,ret_img,w_900/http://www.claire-ebendinger.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Un-trait-dhumour-WEB9-1024x768.jpg)
![Un Trait d’Humour by Claire Ebendinger considers school rulers as agents of a certain pedagogical philosophy](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_lossless,ret_img,w_900/http://www.claire-ebendinger.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Un-trait-dhumour-WEB8-2-1024x768.jpg)
![Un Trait d’Humour by Claire Ebendinger considers school rulers as agents of a certain pedagogical philosophy](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_lossless,ret_img,w_900/http://www.claire-ebendinger.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Un-trait-dhumour-WEB6-2-1024x768.jpg)
![Un Trait d’Humour by Claire Ebendinger considers school rulers as agents of a certain pedagogical philosophy](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_lossless,ret_img,w_900/http://www.claire-ebendinger.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Un-trait-dhumour-WEB3-2-1024x768.jpg)
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_lossless,ret_img,w_900/http://www.claire-ebendinger.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Un-trait-dhumour-WEB2-1-1024x768.jpg)
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_lossless,ret_img,w_900/http://www.claire-ebendinger.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Un-trait-dhumour-WEB1-1-1024x768.jpg)