To the left, on the Mediterranean terrace, there are seven musicians and a mezzo-soprano; on stage there are seven dancers; in the background, a large mirror shows excerpts from Jean-Daniel Pollet's film L'Ordre, about the last European leper colony on the island of Spinalonga, off the coast of Crete, where East and West meet.
Against a backdrop of Vivaldi melodies and rebetiko—Greek folk music strongly influenced by American blues with gypsy accents—Ali and Hèdi Thabet create an intense piece that combines different artistic forms. It combines the words of Raimondakis, one of the lepers in the film and the true face of the island, with a free interpretation of the myth of Narcissus, symbol of beauty, but also of love and exile. While questioning the notion of normality, rejection and attraction, the two brothers create a dialogue between music, movement and the poetry of René Char. A complete art work that draws on Greece, the cradle of Europe, to explore the role of artists who come face-to-face with themselves and the condition of actors and spectators. |