04bis. Drôle de fantascope
Do you hear that? That music coming towards us? Do you see those crazy dancers with colourful wigs and confident postures? Their silhouettes respond to each other’s moves, as if setting the rhythm for us. They perform pose after pose, little step after little step, merely waiting for partners… Like Charity Hope, the heroine of the musical comedy Sweet Charity (adapted to film in 1969), you too can join “The Rich Man’s Frug” choreographed by American dancer Bob Fosse.
Follow Charity’s journey through her infatuations. This young woman, with her history of chaotic experiences, always tries to look on the bright side, because she is absolutely determined to find the man of her dreams. The garden is about both emancipation and sensitivity. The set adopts the perspective of the main character, who sees life through rose-coloured glasses. The flowers feature this colour over and over again, expressing the ‘I love you’s, the ‘I promise you’s and ‘my heart belongs to you’s.
Like dance, cinema is an art of movement and rhythm. It is a series of pictures that tell us a story, containing what is effectively a choreography of key images and pivotal movements. But if we press pause, just for a moment, we are able to observe all the spaces in between, which come one after another, image by image, like a layer cake.
The experience is illustrated by the phenakistoscope at the centre of the installation. This tool based on a little-known mechanism, and invented by Joseph Plateau in the 19th century, enables sequences of images, creating the illusion of movement – a nod to the world of cinema and the art of animation. The first films lasted no more than 30 seconds…
“The time to sing is when your emotional level is too high to just speak anymore, and the time to dance is when your emotions are just too strong to only sing about how you feel.” Bob Fosse
DESIGNER
“I grew up in Brittany, between pink granite coasts and farmlands. I always liked looking at the surrounding landscape and drawing the micro-vegetation bordering the paths. After graduating in applied arts, I wanted to work in a field that enabled me to express my creativity. My love of space design and plant life led me to prepare for an Advanced Technician Certificate (BTS) in landscape design, followed by a degree in urban planning. I went on to take part in various schoolyard redevelopment and urban landscaping projects, working in teams with architects and environmental professionals. Very enriching experiences, on a human and professional level alike. It also made me question our approach to the environment and the challenges it presents. These days, I work mainly for private individuals. My aim is to help them reappropriate their gardens while trying to pass on my love of plant life to them. Ever since I was a little girl, I've also expressed myself through dance. As a student at a conservatory, creating choreographies, sometimes accompanied by musicians, is a way of escaping. It's real scenographic work, during which we try to transcribe a world, a rhythm, and capture the audience's emotions. Taking part in the Chaumont-sur-Loire International Garden Festival is a great challenge for me, as it enables me to reconcile the world of choreography with the world of plant life, both of which are in constant motion.”
