Le castelet blanc, 2023
Stainless steel wire and sheet, spinnaker cloth

This castelet is made of three-dimensional elements of welded steel wire and covered with a light white canvas, usually used for the construction of tents or kites. It is set up in the public space, preferably outdoors and in natural light. The glove puppets created by Sarah Tritz are inspired by the modernist avant-garde (Xanti Schawinsky and his constructivist theatre, Sophie Taeuber, Oskar Schlemmer and his triadic ballet), combined with the ‘pop’ visual effectiveness of certain television series (Teletubbies and, more recently, Adventure Time and its emblematic character B-MO). The cast and puppets are brought to life in three episodes in which we follow the adventures of four characters: NON, L’Aventure Prévue, Amour and 1,2,3,4,5,6. Inspired by the metal structure of the castelet, the story takes place on a distant planet where the characters wander among towers, ducts and lifts as they search for a way to get along. The writing of these texts was influenced by Brice Coupey and the puppeteers Maïlis Habonneaud and Julien Ouvrard, who set the story, shapes, words and space in motion in a puppet show. The story has also been enriched by the sound work of Jérôme Girard, who has added a new layer to this collaborative effort. The three texts are set in three different registers: the beating, the musical comedy and the absurd.
The show, 13 grammes 89, premiered on 16 March 2023 at the Musée de l’Ardenne in Charleville-Mézières.

Design: Olivier Vadrot
Photographs: Motoki Nakatani and Studio Marie B

Distribution: Compagnie l’Alinéa

A work produced as part of the support programme for artistic creation Mondes nouveaux.