Tephra Formations Play

For this project, the result of an invitation by the Pompidou Centre performing arts department for visual artists to work with stage performers, the musician Philippe Katerine and I co-wrote a musical and theatrical performance on the life of a sofa. Twenty or so scenes, in a variety of different formats and presenting different content, recount the life of Irregular Bomb from the Tephra Formations series: a piece of furniture which, unlike a standard sofa, asks questions about how it might be used. Irregular Bomb becomes the centrepiece of a series of sung, spoken or silent situations, taking the audience on a journey from seriousness to absurdity. Certain scenes are played by people actually involved in the life of the sofa, such as my friend Philippe and myself, the craftsmen who made it and the gallery owners who sell it, while others are played by professional actors including Éric Cantona, Ludivine Sagnier and Roland Menou.

Commissioned by:
Les Spectacles Vivants
Centre Pompidou

Co-producer :
Agence Eva Albarran

Photos:
Hervé Veronese: 1,2,4,6-8
Adrien Millot: 3,5