Théâtre National de Bretagne
Direction Arthur Nauzyciel

VESSEL
FR EN

VESSEL

Damien Jalet / Kohei Nawa

Running time 1h

Running time 1h

BELGIUM / FRANCE / JAPAN
Creation at Villa Kujoyama à Kyoto, Japon (2015)
On tour seasons 2024-25 and 2025-26

The idea for Vessel by Damien Jalet, in collaboration with the Japanese plastic artist Kohei Nawa, germinated in 2015 during a shared residence at the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto. At the intersection between sculpture and choreography, the two art forms meet and become indivisible. Taking the contradictions of the human body as their starting point, the artists, together with a group of seven dancers, create a fascinating work embracing regeneration and deterioration, solid and liquid, anatomy and mythology. In addition, the Japanese composer Marihiko Hara serves the performance with a captivating score.

Damien Jalet travels the world, imbuing his choreography with exotic imagery, originating in the myths, the religions and the rituals of each country he visits. He succeeds in combining them with the elemental conflict between the body and the spirit of dance. In his sculptures and installations Kohei Nawa explores different materials and techniques, communicating an organic vision of the world while simultaneously combining image and materiality with impressive success.

The artistic duo instills the scenography with an intriguing breadth of physical properties, ranging from gases, to liquids and solids, in an attempt to create a dynamic fusion between the dance stage and the bodies of the dancers. The distinctive “headless” posture hides the faces of the performers, imposing anonymity in a dissimulation of genre and identity, while insinuating all at once the existence of a non-human entity. The vision of the world rendered by such sculptural dance transcends the artistic disciplines.

Running time 1h

CREDITS

Choreography
DAMIEN JALET
Set design
KOHEI NAWA
Music
MARIHIKO HARA
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO

 

With
AIMILIOS ARAPOGLOU
NOBUYOSHI ASAI
MAYUMU MINAKAWA
JUN MORII
MIRAI MORIYAMA
NAOKO TOZAWA
ASTRID SWEENEY

 

Production : Théâtre National de Bretagne ; SANDWICH Inc. Coproduction : Arario Gallery ; Grand Marble Co., Ltd ; Warehouse Terrada ; Amuse Inc. ; Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. With the support of Caisse des Dépôts et du Performing Arts Japan Programme for Europe / Japan Foundation.