Aurélien Bory's
Les Sept Planches de la Ruse France/China UK Premiere
Barbican
Wed 14 to Sat 17 Jan 7.45pm
After Show Discussion Fri 16 Jan
Compagnie 111 / Scènes de la Terre
Runs approx 75 mins with no interval
Tickets: £10, £12, £16, £21, £26
Online booking >
‘An amazing range of emotions come to life in this giant tangram’. Les Inrockuptibles
Aurélien Bory’s acclaimed trilogy for Compagnie 111, IJK, Plan B and More or Less Infinity, have all explored space and kinetics, using ingenious set design and circus arts. In this spectacular, dreamlike new work he goes one step further, proving that geometry is capable of producing exquisite visual poetry that speaks across cultures and generations. Les Sept Planches de la Ruse is based on an ancient Chinese game, Tangram, a mind-bender in which a set of seven different geometric shapes can be manipulated in almost infinite possible combinations. On stage these giant, interlocking forms are seamlessly assembled and manoeuvred with incredible agility, strength and cunning by a team of fourteen artists from Dalian, China. They evoke abstract landscapes, terrifying ravines and sky-high city towers; they conjure monochrome urban images from Fritz Lang films or themes from Kafka; they are vivid metaphors for human experience. As the performers climb, balance, vanish into voids and new images evolve, the play of scale and form contrasting men and objects is stunning and dramatic. Astonishing to see.
Aurélien Bory studied film, then acoustic architecture before turning to theatre. He co-founded Compagnie 111 whose three productions to date have all featured in the London International Mime Festival and toured worldwide. In 2004 he created Taoub with a twelve-strong group of Moroccan acrobats, Scènes du Maroc and in 2007 was invited to China to create Les Sept Planches de la Ruse.Production: Scènes de la Terre . Cie 111
Coproduction: Théâtre de la Ville – Paris; Department of Culture, City of Dalian; Equinoxe, Scène nationale – Chateauroux.
Cie 111 / Aurélien Bory is supported by Fondation BNP Paribas
Presented in association with Barbicanbite09
Part of Paris Calling
