5 min
"Moby Dick" by The Plexus Polaire company, supported internationally by the Institut français
Masterfully directed by Yngvild Aspeli, Moby Dick is an adaptation of Herman Melville's mythical work, halfway between theatre and puppet show. Supported internationally by the Institut français, the Plexus Polaire company has already presented Moby Dick in Portugal, with the support of the Institut français of Portugal, as well as other creations, such as Chambre noire, in Estonia with the support of the Institut français of Estonia, and in Norway with the support of the Institut français of Norway.
From Norway to the oceans
Yngvild Aspeli was born in Norway, facing the ocean: her grandfather was a sailor and brought back objects from distant and mysterious countries. These childhood impressions would have a lasting influence on her life to follow. At the age of nineteen, she arrived in France where she trained in theatre and puppetry. These puppets, often of human size, are at the heart of the work she has been developing since 2008 through her company Plexus Polaire. Director, actress and puppeteer, Yngvild Aspeli created Signaux in 2011, her intimate and deeply moving first show, which was followed by Opéra Opaque (2013), Cendres (2014) and Chambre Noire (2017). Moby Dick is one of her most ambitious creations to date, following the strange fate of Captain Ahab's crew.
A game of scale
Moby Dick is an adaptation of Herman Melville's great masterpiece, and represents a challenge in terms of scale. How can the fury of the ocean, the majesty of the great white sperm whale, but also the madness of Ahab, be represented on a stage of forcibly reduced dimensions? Yngvild Aspeli states that with this creation, she "continues to search for ways in which acting and puppetry, music and video, text and images, can meet, overlap, tell a parallel story, mix and create an extended language or physical experience where the story is told by 'the whole'.
A total work
To bring Moby Dick to the stage, Yngvild Aspeli worked with set designer Elisabeth Holager Lund, a pair of lighting designers, Xavier Lescat and Vincent Loubière, and video designer David Lejard-Ruffet. Together, they have created a space-time dimension that is completely altered, that reverses perspectives and gives the audience the impression of looking into the depths of the sea. The musicians on stage help to create an atmosphere that is both grand and mysterious, allowing us to experience Ahab's madness up close.
A major international tour
After its première in October 2020, Moby Dick, supported by the DRAC, the Region Bourgogne Franche Comté and the Kulturrådet - Arts Council Norway, began a national and international tour. The show, which brings together creators from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities, will be performed in the language of the host country, to encourage the audience to immerse itself in this timeless fable.
The Plexus Polaire company is supported internationally by the Institut français.
The Plexus Polaire company's shows have already been presented in foreign countries in collaborations with the French cultural network abroad.