Gérald Kurdian X ! (un opéra fantastique)
[Theatre]
Gérald Kurdian, an activist and performer straddling disciplines, designed a one-of-a-kind artistic product: a musical, poetic, and political fable, a solo opera, with artificial intelligence inventing alternative mythology for bodies deprived of it.
Gérald Kurdian’s new work cements their reputation as a highly versatile sound and visual artist. It was difficult to put words on their previous creations, and it still is: in this self-fiction, halfway between a diary and an epic journey, between a documentary and 3D décor, they are at the center of the equation. The character, straight out of a queer club, lugs along a symbolic sword and a deep-rooted scar in an open world reminiscent of a heroic fantasy game. In this journey, they explore the digital memory of a computer, powered by male-chauvinistic Wagnerian opera, and the hope for an ecofeminist future, freed from the constraints of capitalism, recognizing the importance of intimacy and embracing each person’s inherent vulnerability. This initiatory journey is Gérald’s very own path to freedom from their fantasized version of themselves: X ! (un opéra fantastique) Is both an individual and collective mending act, a picture of marginalized activist spaces presented as a manifesto for a revolution of sensitivity.
Credits
Artistic Director, Gérald Kurdian
Dramaturgy, Kopano Maroga
Audio Technique, Justine Herbert
Lighting and video, Joseph Wegman
Support to the 3D island’s development, Tristan Bründler
Technical direction, Loïs Saumande
Costumes, Miguel Penaranda Olmeda
Production, Fanny Virelizier
Administration, Axelle Failleres
Scenography support, Caroline Oriot, Ersatz
Support IA, Fabrice Gallis
Advice and external view, Phoenix Atala, Marcela Santander, Bettina Blanc Panther
People in the videos (in order of appearance), Julia Drouhin, Romy Alizée, Fabian Barba, Harvey Rabid, Caritia Abell, Personaja Personaje
Les Apolloniens, Badi Rezzak, Titouan, Denis Robert, Thymios Fountas, Pablo Alves, Erwan
Co-produced by Kaaitheater (Bruxelles) ; Kunstencentrum Vooruit (Gand) ; Ménagerie de verre (Paris) ; DICREAM Ile de France (Paris) ; Festival d’Automne à Paris
Co-directed by Ménagerie de verre (Paris) ; Festival d’Automne à Paris for the representations in la Ménagerie de verre (Paris)
Co-directed by Théâtre 13 (Paris); T2G Théâtre de Gennevilliers, Centre Dramatique National; Festival d’Automne à Paris for the representations in Théâtre 13 (Paris)
With support from DRAC Ile de France
With support of CENTQUATRE-PARIS, Kunstencentrum BUDA (Courtrai), La Pop (Paris), Antre Peaux (Bourges), Coopérative de Recherche ESACM, DOCH - University of the Arts (Stockholm), Théâtre 13 (Paris), T2G Théâtre de Gennevilliers, Centre Dramatique National
Many thanks to, Kay Garnelen, Marianne Chargois Baxter, Halter Jul Luege Passoir.e TT Baum Alexander Rosan Carin Klonowsky Melis Tezkan Sarah Netter la Coopérative de Recherche de l’ESACM Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens
