July 10 to 16, 2023 | L'œil nu, Maud Blandel | Programmation IN du Festival d'Avignon with la Sélection suisse en Avignon

Published on 20 June 2023
L'œil nu, création, Maud Blandel
La Chartreuse - CNES, Villeneuve lez Avignon
July 10 to 16 juillet 2023, 14 off
10pm

They say a star begins to die when its balance fades and its hydrogen supply is empty. When that happens, it slowly degenerates until – depending on its size – it either violently explodes or its heart collapses. For this piece, French and Swiss choreographer Maud Blandel associates the astrophysics phenomenon of pulsars to the tragic sound memory of the explosion of her father’s heart. By translating physics principles like rotation, gravity, and periodicity, L'œil nu mobilizes six dancers and transforms the scenic space into an observation spot. What do we really see faced with a degenerating body (be it a star, a human body or a collective body)? More than an autobiographical account, Blandel plays with questions of scale, tragedy and transforms memory into images – showcasing how it persists, as well as its loops and blanks, its shadows and sparks of creativity.