PAMPERING LANGUAGE

How can language be pampered? Sound director Sophie Berger and writer-performer Fabrice Melquiot launch this enigmatic investigation in two Strasbourg classrooms, making them the focus of writing and speaking workshops. Taking the time to examine everyday words and sentence structures, to play with them, to feel their richness, to weigh up language and tongues, to look for the memories attached to them, the relationships forged with and through them... all investigations are pretexts for triggering the imagination, then embarking collectively on an act of care. And what about unearthing the poetry lodged in the midst of all this? Drawing on all the writings, sound recordings, interviews and words gleaned from the children, and rewriting the chronicle of what they went through in the workshops, the pair of artists create an original poetic performance. It's an invitation to stop and listen, to listen to each other. Let's pamper, let's pamper, as if it were stronger than us, with all our strength, together, with our hands, with our eyes, with our great talents as pamperers.

The Creation, Production and Distribution Workshop Cosmogama develops original concepts that bring together all the arts. Bringing together over 50 artists, the Atelier promotes a playful culture, open to encounters, expert in attempts to make people hear and see, understand and feel the interstices of the world. It favors a sensitive, supportive experience in close proximity to others on a variety of playgrounds - theaters, museums, classrooms, public squares, clearings, underground caves, swimming pools, gardens, etc. Co-founder and artistic director of Cosmogama, Fabrice Melquiot is a writer and performer. He is the author of some sixty plays, graphic novels and collections of poetry. He has also written some twenty radio dramas and songs. One of the most widely performed and translated authors of contemporary French theater, he has been associated with numerous theaters and companies. From 2012 to 2021, he directed Geneva's Théâtre Am Stram Gram, an international creative center for children and young people. From 2023, he will be part of the artists' committee accompanying the TJP project. Sophie Berger has been working with Fabrice Melquiot since 2022. A creator and sound engineer, she works for radio, live performance, exhibitions and installations. With her microphones, she has traveled France on foot along the Loire River, boarded a cargo ship bound for China or the Austral Lands, and brought back immersive sound pieces, invitations to listen to the world. They are broadcast by numerous media and festivals.

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