Compagnie Non Nova

Foreword -
« P.P.P. »

Before going any further, I need to explain how this
creation came about.

In my experience, each creation is a puzzle, often taking
shape in an anarchic way, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place over time
and following certain events.

The starting point for this puzzle which was to become
« P.P.P. » first became apparent whilst I was touring the show
« Ascenceur, fantasmagorie pour élever les gens et les fardeaux »
(« Elevator, Phantasmagoria for lifting people and loads ») in
various West African countries, in May and June 2006. I was having problems
performing the show properly because the venues didn’t have air conditioning.
We tried to lower the excessive temperature onstage by using blocks of ice and
ventilators : it was a soggy 
failure !

Despite this, I began to look closely at this
matter which was transforming into puddles of water …

Not long afterwards, a second element of the
puzzle took shape whilst I was moving out of my spacious house and into a
smaller apartment. I rapidly came to the conclusion that I had accumulated too
many things – various, diverse objects which wouldn’t find their place in my
new home. I needed to get rid of this ‘overflow’, but didn’t know what to
choose as each object was full of memories !

How was I going to accept throwing certain
souvenirs out?

One question really bothered me : how does
one continue to live without carrying the burden of too many memories ; or
even without nostalgia?

Maybe I should let the old memories melt away so
that I can hold on to the new ones? …

About "P.P.P." …

I am tracing a form of composition which uses
the simplest of language ; that of an individual alone onstage.

A short break in time, an evocation of transformation in a
piece of choreography bound to the icy elements surrounding me.

A traditional pathway which tells a story.

One person, alone in an empty space. As if the bailiffs had
just torn through their home, taking everything except the freezers ;
heavy vaults containing treasure, but what kind of treasure ?

What exactly is in them ? Objects ? Food ? A
body, maybe ?

This is where we wrestle with our curiousity,
wanting to discover more about ourselves … what intimate secrets are we
hiding ?

Let’s give this solitary being space to question
his/her identity through his/her actions, as if s/he is on a quest to stay
alive. One individual, juggling and manipulating frozen objects which melt and
transform as they come into contact with skin and air. Little by little a pool
of water appears, like a lake of tears … maybe this is a metaphor for the trace
we leave on the earth ?

For the creation of this piece, I have drawn inspiration  from the sensations and questions accumulated
over the past ten years spent touring shows across the world. Moments when
living in the skin of a man became unbearable, when I felt like a woman dressed
up as a man, playing men’s games. Even in my earliest shows, this question of
gender identity kept coming back, as if it were an important part of my
artistic reflection. Certain films such as « In a Year of Thirteen
Moons » by Rainer Werner Fassbinder kept me questioning myself on this
theme.

For this intimate creation piece, I wanted to
return to juggling, using it as the foundation of my composition. The idea
wasn’t to go back down an old, worn path but instead to present juggling from a
new angle by using this bewildering matter – ice - which slowly, constantly
transforms from a frozen block to a puddle of water. An icy obstacle course
keeps bringing you back to the Perrilous Parallel Position !

The Reasons for creating
« P.P.P »- A certain point of view

It has now been a good few years since, with the Non Nova
team, I began making shows in which I use juggling as a sort of pretext for
captivating the spectator’s imagination and taking it in a new direction. Each
time I do this it is intentional, I consider it carefully and at length. This
doesn’t stop me from doubting my work when I present it to an audience.

Ever since the creation of « Zapptime, rêve éveillé d'un
zappeur" » (Zapptime, Daydream of a channel-hopper) in 2003, I have
felt trapped by the widespread opinion that juggling should be uniquely a
circus art, a family show, a simple, marvellous, magical presentation of
skills ; it certainly shouldn’t ask us to ‘think’ !

Let’s not be fooled, let’s not confuse Culture and its
economic and political needs with art. What I mean is, art as the expression of
artists and their view of the world through their research and compositions. So
let’s be honest, don’t let ourselves be won over by the prevailing
schizophrenia of « Will the audience like this ? ». Instead of
that falsely existential question, I prefer this following one : « Am
I engaged in presenting the audience with the visions and opinions of today’s
artists? »

We are all aware that even though we might not have the same
constraints in life, we are all linked by the business of culture ; it
concerns us all, it allows us to feed and house our families. However, I think
that it’s our passion for the arts which keeps us alive, our love for the
singularity of life seen through the works of artists. The artist is a witness
who thinks and who offers the audience his, or her, own thoughts and words. Not
the thoughts and words of a particular ideology.

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that in this era of
civilisation, defending the freedom of expression, the foundation of our
society and of our art, is each day becoming more and more of an act of
resistance against all the reactionary ideas and retrograde movements which
hamper our freedom. Let’s not forget that art is essential, because each
creation is a fragile step into the unknown, a fight to resist being reduced to
simple consumers of images, a bag of popcorn in one hand and a mobile telephone
in the other…

I have chosen which side I’m on. I prefer to fight for art,
for all forms of art, against the business culture which views a work of art as
a convenience good. I don’t like things to be formatted. I prefer art which
involves thought, reflection, convictions ; art which defends the
singularity and uniqueness of each individual and his, or her, actions.

It
is a certain point of view, in the form of questions : what can we do when
faced with the difficulty of selling and performing our shows in the national
network ? What do we learn from the standardisation of theatre
programmes ? Is there a place for multidisciplinary artists, outside the « atypical »
performance spaces ? Should shows labelled « circus arts »
necessarily be popular family shows ?

In
the Non Nova team, we ask ourselves these questions everyday, hoping to find
some answers. Today, the company is subsidised by the French Ministry of
Culture and Communication / DRAC des Pays de la Loire and the Departement de
la Loire Atlantique,
we are supported by the Pays de la
Loire region and the City of Nantes and we work with the
French Institute and the Foundation BNP Paribas.

We
can’t complain, because all this support and these subsidies are essential for
the creation of our shows, but how do we find the motivation to continue when
our shows are doomed never to find a performance space where they can encounter
the French general public ?

There
has been a huge multiplication of performance spaces over the past few years,
but this doesn’t mean things are getting any easier for the artists creating
new shows. We hear so much about « the French cultural diversity » but I
don’t believe there is a true cultural diversity ; artists are repeatedly and
systematically confronted with the difficulty of showing their work, of touring
their shows. Companies are subsidised to create a show, but once the première
of a show is performed, it is very difficult to get it programmed. This means
the piece is never really completed ; it never gets to evolve, to fulfill
its potential, as it is not confronted often enough with an audience. I would
like this « French cultural diversity » to become more than just a
beautiful idea. But for it to become a reality, everyone needs to commit to it.

The
company’s projects are bound to my engagement as an author. I try to write what
I see in the world. To succeed in this endeavour, I am surrounded by numerous collaborators,
each competent in their own domaine. This heterogeneous group is made up of
professionals all working together towards a single aim ; to ensure that
each project is pertinent to its time and to society.

Lastly,
I hope to make each encounter with the audience an experience enriched by a new
way of looking at things.

Phia
Ménard.

Friday
the 13th of Octobre, 2006

The Team P.P.P.

Creation and performance
: Phia MENARD

Assisted by Jean Luc
BEAUJAULT

Lighting design: Robin
DECAUX

Lighting engineer: Alice
RUEST

Music and ‘sound space’:
Ivan ROUSSEL

Stage Manager: Pedro
BLANCHET

Ice engineers: Jean-Luc
BEAUJAULT and Rodolphe THIBAUD

Tour manager and
production assistant : Honorine MEUNIER

Robot construction: Philippe
RAGOT

Set design :
Philippe MENARD and Jean-Luc BEAUJAULT

Production,
administration : Claire MASSONNET

Photographs :
Jean-Luc BEAUJAULT

Video recording:
Philippe DEVILLIERS

Presse: 

Revue de presse P.P.P._Janvier 2013.pdf

Visuel: 

Son: 

ppp.mp3

Vidéo: 

ppp.flv

Vidéo HD: 

ppp.mp4

Photos: