Festival de la cité de Lausanne - du 4 au 9 juillet 2017 - 46ème édition

What if the highly touted (and high-priced) idea of “well-being” is not where we expect it to be? Forget spas with their exorbitant rates, those “wellness centers” housed in luxury hotels and thalassotherapy in their well-established facilities. The Dakota collective will bring thermal bliss right at the heart of the Festival, on the Place du Tunnel parking zone.

In an effort to break mores with humour and to question our relationship with the spaces and surroundings we encounter daily, they developed the concept of “plus-value affective” (sentimental added value). For instance, they once used a cement mixer to play Shakespeare’s complete works - all 57 hours of it - before laying the cornerstone of La Comédie de Genève, located beside the CEVA railway station.

The “Bains publics” (Public Baths) project adds the tangible component of corporal pleasure to artistic performance. “With this extreme wellness operation, we wish to bring relaxation to zones of tremendous stress,” pledges the collective. Sure, Place du Tunnel may not be the most stress-inducing area of Lausanne, but it remains one of them. The parking area will be adorned with small islets to bathe and relax in, containing variable elements such as a sauna, a solarium, showers, massage areas, a jacuzzi and two “jacuzzicars” (cars transformed into bubble baths)! “There will also be a space for Thalassoponics,” describes Lorène Bidaud, a member of the collective. “We call it interspecific wellbeing: the water used for our wellness endeavours nourishes the salad garden next to the facilities.”

Each space will be moderated by actors to ensure that the temperature is just right and that everyone can say their piece during this aquatic/philosophical experience. All you need is a bathing suit. “We have bathing suits and bathrobes for people to use, but we invite them to come with their own. It is a performance, yes, but it is mostly interactive. Artists performing at the Festival are also invited.” Join the adventure filled with water and bubbles, and rediscover your city at 60 degrees... Celsius.