conversations in ten questions 17 : Fabrice Guillot (Retouramont)

In this series of interviews we try to get to know the artists of İstanbul Theatre Festival 2020. Our first guest is Fabrice Guillot from Retouramont.

Ayse Draz, Art Unlimited Performing Arts Editor & Mehmet Kerem Ozel, Writer 

[The Turkish translation of this interview is published on art.unlimited]

What is the spirit of dance/ in your opinion? How do you define contemporary dance today? 

Dance is a no words art, each choreography is a question for the spectator. What does it mean ? 

Do you believe in the transformative power of art? How? 

Yes this langage of dance can be a symbol of a situation in our society. This no word langage can open new pespectives. My discipline is performing in public space, we create a new use in the city. The frontier of the wall becomes an opening. 

How do you think that this pandemic which humanity is facing at a global scale today will transform performing arts in the future?   

We have to imagine for a moment new rules to share our art in good conditions. The contact is always possible between dancers, we forget so fast this relation in public space in our daily life. 

Are there any artist whom you can describe as "my master", or any person whom you think influenced your art most? And if there is such an artist or person, who? 

Poetry is completely open to interpretation, like dance. Roberto Juarroz is an argentinian poet who wrote “Vertical Poetry” n°1 to n°14 all his life. It’s a great source of inspiration for me. 

When you are working on a piece, what sources inspire you? Do dreams play a role in your works? 

Each piece is made a new apparatus a new object to explore to create a new language. Each object and piece propose a different way to inhabit the architecture and the void in public space. In my hammock, nearly dreaming I can have the sensations of a new dance in the void. 

When do you decide to give a title to a work you are working on if it already does not have one? 

Each new object in our exploration is opening a new narration, this dramaturgy is growing after weeks of work. It’s the moment to give a title to the piece. 

Your work is a lot about the use and reading of space, could you please elaborate on your understanding and interpretation of space? You explore with your work a wide range of spaces, from public spaces to natural ones, to contemporary and heritage architecture; please give us some examples of the specific challenges you encounter in different spaces? 

We can play in many different spaces the pieces of the cie. The piece is the same, but the space is different, the perception is different for the audience because the interaction with the architecture is new. New walls, perspectives, geometry, sensation of the square, weather ... 

Why did you decide to work with two female dancers for this piece? 

It’s not so clear for me, but it’s a choice in nealy all my pieces. It’s beautiful for me to see the relation of feminity with the architecture. 

How are you in person handling/dealing with the challenging conditions posed by the pandemic? 

I try to imagine new forms and adaptations to create freedom spaces in this enclosing situation. 

Is there anything in particular you would like to tell people before they see this show? Is there anything particular you would like to tell the Istanbul audience? 

Your perception and the story you will imagine is the good one.