"It's somewhere between bubblegum and science fiction"
Interview with Julien Fournier about his creation "Chwallow"
The Habeas Corpus Compagnie, founded in 2012 by Julien Fournier, is a contemporary circus company committed to exploring this art form through different narratives and aesthetics. With this new production, which takes its starting point from the scenography and the pursuit of a form of visual radicalism, the company invites us to experience a spectacle that is as much a sensory and museum-like experience as it is a performance. On stage, the entirely white set becomes the backdrop for an explosion of colour and material, the canvas for the development of acrobatic sequences as well as the emergence of small scenes between the performers. These scenes depict a group of individuals confronted with an uncertain environment. Oscillating between humour and committed physicality, they explore themes of work, community, transformation and adaptation.
"In Chwallow, it is the visual elements that drive the narrative. So, strictly speaking, there is no story."
What does Chwallow mean?
Chwallow takes its name from the English word ‘swallow’. It’s a nod to the set design, which eventually swallows up all the characters. Chwallow is a made-up word that speaks to the texture of the show.
What is this show about?
In Chwallow, it is the scenographic events that drive the narrative. So there isn’t really a story as such. We focus primarily on material, colour and transformation. I’d say it’s above all a physical and sensory journey. What it conveys has to do with the childlike and the joyful, as well as the strange and the unsettling.
Your creation lies somewhere between circus and visual arts – can you tell us more?
At the heart of the project was a desire to create a piece that lies between circus and visual arts, with material and the manipulation of material serving as the vehicle for the visual dimension. Consequently, we did a lot of experimental work on this, seeking connections between the material and physical performance. I never strayed from the idea that the avenues of research had to be interesting in terms of both imagery and physicality. It is this entire research process that forms the basis of the stage writing. Also with the idea that all the elements that make up the spectacle are placed on the same level of importance and therefore that the show is as much a visual piece as it is a circus, choreographic, sound or lighting piece.
"What is important in Chwallow is the concept of artificiality"
Can you explain the central role that set design plays in Chwallow?
There is a desire here to redraw the contours of the stage space. What is important in Chwallow is the notion of artificiality; it will come to life through a form of ‘plastic radicalism’ that is in direct harmony with the characters. It is in this direction that the set design will, unwittingly, shape the entire narrative.
What kind of sensory experience do you want the audience to have?
We’re working on the journey and transformation. I think I’d be delighted if the audience were swept up and surprised by the journey and the destination. A bit like buying a ticket for a fairground ride. There’s a grand spectacle element with quite a few effects; there’s something intense and spectacular about it. That’s why I like this analogy with the fairground ride, even though visually, here, we’re somewhere between bubblegum and science fiction.
Can you tell us about the sound design for the show?
We worked closely with the composer Fred Miclet. In Chwallow, his approach is similar to that used in musique concrète. Using multiple sound sources, our idea was to blur the boundaries between music, image, movement and space. As the set and characters go through different phases, the sound will, for its part, ‘disrupt’ the relationship with reality.
