Volte-face in no sense, memories of tomorrow
A nuclear show that annihilates FEAR,
shakes the SENSES and
OPENS the imagination.
We need your support for our
new creation !
About the project
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Hiroshima, Nagasaki 1945. Chernobyl, 1986. Fukushima 2011.
Our show faces the memories of nuclear disasters which have been buried in collective denial. By bringing the words of witnesses back to life, reflection can finally blossom in a shared and powerful volte-face!
Fear is transcended. Imagination, set in motion. Connections are regenerated.
How exactly ? Our goal is both modest and ambitious: we hope to bring into life an artistic moment that is both intense and beautiful, in order to sow the seeds of precious vital energy.
With 6 taikos -Japanese drums-, 1 electric guitar, 3 voices and a powerful selection of texts and images. Videos will add extra colors and transform the space, merging the borders between the different realms of life. It is no longer the nuclear core that fuses, but our organic lives that circulate and merge.
Why this crowdfunding?
We want to offer the best to our audience, by filling them with the joy of beauty. We wish to:
- Transform and enchant the space
- Have a show that can be adapted to all types of venues: large and small, equipped or not
- Be able to present outdoors (blend in with nature and a good alternative considering the increasing Covid 19 restrictions)
It is not enough to create a show, we must also succeed in promoting it.
We are ready to practise a form of free price selling to make it accessible to a greater number of people. This will make our income unpredictable. This can be concerning for alternative venues managed by associations with few means, for example.
But we also need to be paid according to the work done and find a more conventional way of distributing our show in performing arts venues and/or festivals.
For these two types of distribution, we need a Distribution Manager, a person entirely dedicated to this heavy but essential mission.
The Cie has already advanced 2000 € from its own funds, for the purchase of adapted sound equipment, the recruitment of our sound engineer and the reimbursement of some expenses (mainly transport). Its coffers are empty.
That’s why your contribution is so essential for us!
We are also working to obtain additional support (venues, local authorities, patronage, among others) to organise a creative residency for screenings in the middle of nature.
What will we use the money for?
We estimate a budget of 4800 € to complete part of the production and to be able to broadcast this show.
The first 2800 € collected will allow the creation of videos to be screened by Nicolás (1500 €), the creation of a demo from the show to be presented to potential venues (800 €), and will cover communication costs (500 €). The goal of 4800 € set for this crowdfunding will allow us to spread our show more widely by recruiting a broadcasting manager (1500 €). Also to be adaptable to any place for the projection of images and videos (500 € for making a portable screen).
And if your generosity exceeds all our expectations, we may very well plan an event in April 2021 in partnership with local associations for the preservation of the living. In addition to our show, we would like to include workshops, readings, discussions, conferences, screenings, concerts, etc.
Origin of the project
— What made you want to do this show?
This is the story of an encounter and a « we » under construction. Chantal Puccio and Yumi Célia wanted to work together on sensitive social issues both of them are passionate about, but using their own weapons: her voice and her taiko, respectively.
— Why is this show so important to you?
We are convinced that art can transform the world, even for a brief moment, if it steps aside from its recreational sphere. Ambitious? If not, what else? We die, don’t we? We are inhabited by the need to move and be in action. We feel the urgency of speaking about ecology, about refusing collapse, about resisting a so-called fatality.
— Why did you decide to start with this nuclear thematic?
It could have gone in a different direction. We began to devour fiction, essays and poetry in the search of a precise theme: the preservation of life. By chance, from our cross-readings came out The supplication, Chernobyl, chronicle of the world after the apocalypses by Svetlana Alexievitch.
For Yumi, the nuclear issue is an obvious one: Japan -where she grew up- bears the stigma of 3 catastrophic events. For Chantal, the question « how to talk about that which nobody wants to hear? » is an artistic challenge and a subject of her interest.
— Why now?
Nothing happens just by chance. Thoughts circulate and converge. August 6th and 9th, 2020 were the 75th anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the spring of 2021, we will also witness two important anniversaries: 10 years of Fukushima on March 11th, and 35 years of Chernobyl on April 26th.
— Aren’t you afraid of dooming the atmosphere with stories of these nuclear disasters?
For us, that’s where it gets interesting. Do we ask ourselves the same question about the Shoah? No. Everyone agrees that « never again!”. Why is it different for nuclear disasters? Because the memory is missing and dealing with it is frightening.
— Okay, but you do admit it is scary!
Our idea is to go beyond this memory. By affirming it, we are giving ourselves the weapons for a different future.
— Interesting, how do you do it?
We have found artists who can awaken the energy to face and overcome this fear. Marie-Hélène Lafon feeds our need for memory and sensitivity. John Trudell poetizes our moments of doubts and wandering. Alain Damasio and his offbeat words, his wild and musical writing, shakes up our apathy in the face of this fear.
We also found a musician who can transgress the musical codes and take us elsewhere: Ernest Mollo, electro-noise musician and sound performer who electrifies the atmosphere -in the truest sense of the word- with his guitar, playing with taiko and voices.
— But why video?
To invite the audience into a world of poetry and strong visual sensations. To play with confusion and distort the boundaries of space. We search for organic expressions… we even dream of projecting natural elements in parks, forests, why not.
With Nicolás Dardano, it is possible: his videos are organic and sensitive. He has a great know-how in scenography and image/sound interaction. And on top of it, he advocates collaborative practices, sharing, and does it with great modesty. He has agreed to join this adventure from Argentina, even though he knows that our budget is more than limited. We are very happy with the trust he has placed in us.
— You are making us total art here!
Uh… yes… in a way, not really, we’re going to remain modest. But we’ve carefully recruited a sound engineer, Fabien Cruzille, who will subtly balance the voices, instruments and video.
Our team
Chantal Puccio – voice – Artistic director of the Omnibus Company.
She creates and stages transdisciplinary shows, going beyond established frameworks to address social issues that she perceives. For this show, she also finds a place as an actress. http://cie-omnibus.fr/la-cie/
Yumi Célia – taiko, voices, movements –
Earth scientist by training and taiko player at heart. She sings, dances, plays and drums to make the heart of things resonate, drawing sound and visual landscapes in space. http://www.yumicelia.com
Ernest Mollo – electric guitar, sound creations, vocals –
Noise musician and performer, exploration of the unknown doesn’t scare him. https://ernestmollo.bandcamp.com/album/gustaphonie
Nicolás Dardano – visual projections –
Artistic Director and university professor. He is interested on the research of new audiovisual media. He participates in projects that involve hybrid and interdisciplinary formats through which he can explore space, light, video and sound. https://www.trompo.tv/
Fabien Cruzille – sound and lighting director –
Sound technician, both live and in the studio. He navigates from music to theatre and is interested in all technical areas of performance. https://soundcloud.com/fabien-cruzille