As a part of the “Monuments En Mouvement” (translates Monuments in motion) series held with Paris’ Pantheon, French acrobat, actor and dancer Yoann Bourgeois choreographed a captivating performance. Entitled, The Mechanics of History, the exhibit was an attempt to examine the concept of suspension.
The “Mechanics of History” was situated beneath the Panthéon’s dome and the installation consisted of a discrete trampoline and a circular staircase that rotated around it. The installation is very strategically placed over the Panthéon’s Foucault Pendulum, which was devised by French physicist Léon Foucault and offers an easy-to-understand demonstration of Earth’s rotation. According to co-producers Théâtre de la Ville, Bourgeois’s work is a meditation on Earth’s gravity.
Each time a performer falls down the stairs, the trampoline would reinstate them back to the steps. What’s really impressive is the synchronization between the performers and the fact that their fall and rise did not disturb the flow of the other person’s performance. The fall and rise continue and are quite symbolic of life’s struggle. We all keep going, but eventually no one reaches to the top, just like it happens in this performance.
Performers: Emilien Janneteau, Damien Droin, Lucas Struna and Yoann Bourgeois
Cover Image: Géraldine Aresteanu
Share your thoughts in the comments section below the post.
