"In the darkness of November, a group of people wander through the Carouge district of Geneva. They stop at the edge of the lake, in a contemplative silence. A blue light illuminates the bottom of the water. This is the scene observed by a passer-by on the other side, taken aback by this unusual sight. And yet, in the group, surprise has given way to emotion and unity. Through this poetic and spectacular stroll, the Ouinch-Ouinch collective offer an ecological epic with the impetus of a burlesque manifesto." - Julie Fievez - L'Atelier Critique
CACHALOTTE
creation 2022
Lenght: 60 min. (outdoor)
Considering the performance event as an opportunity to recreate an ephemeral micro-society, we continue with this piece to explore different ways of bringing audiences and performers together, always leaving room for the spectacular.
©Pierre Planchenault
CACHALOTTE is a choreographic, choral and theatrical journey along a body of water - whatever that may be - that resembles a zany quest for initiation. Under the guise of guides who are half-fisherwoman half-fish, we invite people to join us in a maritime epic on hard ground.
With CACHALOTTE, we continue to dream about the thousand and one joyous ways in which theatrical events can be used to bring people together. Following on from our previous play ‘HAPPY HYPE’, here we continue our research into encouragement as a vital principle of mutual aid within a society. This time we're working on making the audience an integral part of the show, and giving it a concrete power to encourage, by asking ourselves this question: how can we create a form that is at once immersive, genuinely inclusive and spectacular? How can we combine a sensitive approach to the audience with the extravagant, augmented presence of the Ouinch?
Our fictional setting takes the form of a Whales Watching excursion, an ecotourism activity that involves observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural environment. Playing the role of zany, restless guides, we invite the audience to follow us on a poetic and grotesque odyssey in search of the legendary Great Sperm Whale. Together, physically involving the audience in this quest, by walking, singing and dancing, we set off on a noisy and joyful parade in her wake. On our way, we come across a strange luminous wreck, a futuristic lightship with which we then attempt to sail on dry land.
Here, by including the audience in a sensitive and bizarre journey along a river, an active and contemplative quest for what surrounds us, we hope to initiate a collective journey to the Abyss, where our deepest humanity resides.
CACHALOTTE as an ecological and cathartic rite to heal the tragedies of the Earth.
©Pierre Planchenault
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