Hybridation
©Didier Carluccio
Born in 1959 in Brazzaville, Congo, Olivier de Sagazan trained as a biologist before turning to painting and sculpture in 1987, a practice he has pursued ever since. Driven by a fascination with bringing matter to life, he began covering his own body with clay to observe the transformations that emerged. This exploration led to the creation of his seminal solo performance Transfiguration in 1998.
Building on the themes of Transfiguration, this performance brings together two performers who sculpt clay onto their heads and faces, burying themselves in the material until their identities dissolve and they become living sculptures. Through this process of mutual transformation, they enter into a shifting relationship marked by dialogue, fusion, rivalry, and affection.
Alternately puppeteer and puppet, each performer shapes and is shaped by the other, revealing how identity is forged through encounter. As the clay gradually obscures their vision, they are compelled to turn inward, relying on sensation, intuition, and instinct. What unfolds is a powerful journey of metamorphosis, in which human forms give way to animals and hybrid creatures.
In a performance that is at once visceral, expressive, and immersive, faces are continuously remodelled, erased, pierced, and reinvented. Layer by layer, new beings emerge in an unrestrained exploration of transformation. Painting and sculpting themselves becomes a ritual act at the threshold between dance and trance, where improvisation serves as the driving force behind an ever-evolving process of creation.
We can recommend these as well
For many listeners, the Highland bagpipe remains inseparable from its cultural roots and traditions. Yet for the Breton musician Erwan Keravec, the instrument also represents a gateway to unexplored musical territories. A piper, composer and pioneering improviser, Keravec has devoted his career to expanding the horizons of the bagpipe, revealing its remarkable potential far beyond its customary setting.
The piano accompanied Mozart throughout his life from early childhood, when he performed in public across Europe. His keyboard works often resonate with those written for larger ensembles or for the operatic stage, serving as a genuine laboratory for new ideas. In the eighteenth century, however, the piano sounded quite different from modern instruments.
