The company are doing their residency in DYNAMO between 1. February – 14 February, when they work on their performance ‘The End is Nigh.’
Based on the premise that everything is fucked up, but nothing is lost yet, they take us on a post-apocalyptic acid trip where everything is crucial, but nothing is serious. It is the end of the world as we know it, of the society in which we live, of humankind and of the systems which were created to allow us to live together. It’s also made up of micro-apocalypses: The toast which falls butter side down. The atmosphere is poetic and dystopic. The piece uses a consumerist aesthetic where circus explores the use of recyclage of everyday objects. Welcome to a world seen through the eyes of La Barque Acide.
Short interview
La barque Acide is quite a large company, in terms of artists on stage. How long have you been working in this format? How do you find it?
We’ve known each other for almost 5 years now and we’ve been working together in this period. We have a “democratic” working model, quite horizontal, where we all contribute artistically, as well as take care of the administrative work. It works really well, and very refreshing to take turns in saying “no” to something or other.
The company is diverse, culturally – you speak a lot of languages!
Yes – and that’s one of our strengths! It allows us to organise the communication person according to where we travel – if we go to Italy, we have those speaking Italian organising things, and so on. Again, taking turns is nice.
How have you been coping with this past year’s restrictions in relation to Covid-19 and how do you feel about alternatives in showing circus work, in digital formats, for example?
There’s pluses and minuses with digital streaming. On the one hand, it’s nice to be able to share work with people who don’t have access to it in their local contexts. For this, the internet is a great tool. But, for circus and for stage arts in general, going to see a performance is an experience, a physical experience, and digital showings can’t properly give the viewer the same experience. So, we’re looking forward to showing work again in physical spaces.
What have you been focusing on in your residency at DYNAMO?
We have some scenes already constructed, and now we’re finding deeper ways into them. We have lots of material we’ve been producing individually and collectively, and now we’re putting them together and see how they work. We focus on the little worlds between the scenes, and how our characters develop and navigate these scenes, and how they exist outside of their own scenes. We’re at a stage where we go in depth with all the elements of the show.
What’s next for your performance?
We will premiere it in May in France, hopefully to crowds that can gather again. Meanwhile, we’re showing a work in progress version here in DYNAMO. Very excited about it!
VISUAL DOCUMENTATION
ABOUT THE COMPANY
La Barque Acide presents 9 persons of stage. 5 women and 4 men investigate circus techniques as different as their original origins. The company’s members ceom from all over the world: Brazil, England, Finland, Australia, Italy, Spain, New Caledonia and France.
They met in the professional training program at Le Lido (Toulouse) in 2016, and have since expanded the family to include several technicians, an artistic collaborator, a team working on production and administration, set construction and lighting design.
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Foto: Thomas Bertrand