Théâtre National de Bretagne
Direction Arthur Nauzyciel
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SPECTACLES
16 nov
— 17 nov 2019
AFFORDABLE SOLUTION FOR BETTER LIVING
THÉO MERCIER / STEVEN MICHEL
TNB
Salle Serreau
Duration 1h10
Théâtre / Performance
Arts visuels
Festival Semaine 2
Festival TNB
TNB
Salle Serreau
Duration 1h10
If you’ve ever assembled IKEA furniture, then you know that the furniture is king and you, the buyer, amount to very little.
You ignore a step in the assembly process? It’s back you go to the start. This dominant-dominated relationship results in a victory by TKO for the standardized piece of furniture over you, the alleged thinking member of the human race. This relationship is the focus of a thrilling artistic performance, imagined by the stage director and visual artist, Théo Mercier, and the choreographer and dancer, Steven Michel. Their intention is to have us reflect on our alienation, stemming at least in part from our domination by commercial brands a form of submission that threatens to subvert our imaginations. Steven Michel bases his dance on the set of line drawings, accompanying the furniture assembly instructions. The dancer responds to the injunctions of a voice-over narrator who employs the newspeak of start-ups and corporate coaches. His robotic movements cease when the piece of IKEA furniture arrives.
ABOUT
—
For some time now, Théo Mercier has been exploring these issues from an anthropological and ethnographic perspective. His work has been seen at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris at the Moscow Biennale, and at the Hamburger Bahnhof.
As for Steven Michel, his artistic approach combines the connections between science and fiction, harmony and chaos, and analogue and digital.
TNB
Salle Serreau
Duration 1h10
Conception, choreography and stage design
THÉO MERCIER
STEVEN MICHEL
Text
JONATHAN DRILLET
Sound design
PIERRE DESPRATS
Light
ERIC SOYER
Costumes
THÉO MERCIER
STEVEN MICHEL
DOROTA KLESZCZ
General management
FRANÇOIS BOULET
With
STEVEN MICHEL
and the voi
FANNY SANTER
JONATHAN DRILLET
Production : Nanterre-Amandiers, centre dramatique national ; apap – Performing Europe 2020 – with the support of Programme Culture de l’Union Européenne.
Coproduction : Bonlieu scène nationale Annecy en collaboration avec workspacebrussels / Life Long Burning, with the support of Programme Culture de l’Union européenne.
Thanks : Actoral – Festival international des arts et des écritures contemporaines & Montévidéo ; Créations Contemporaines – Atelier de Fabrique Artistique ; La Ménagerie de verre ; CAMPO, Gand (BE) ; Jean-Paul Lespagnard.