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

There lies a peaceful haven in the heart of La Cité, and it shall be transformed during the Festival. The charming garden of Le Petit Théâtre will become an artistic and convivial microcosm thanks to Old Masters, a collective from Geneva founded in 2014. This unusual space will be adapted to the various performances it will host: some fifteen propositions from the world of performing arts. A few examples include a conference on the sexuality of orchids (yes, you read that right), an improvised performance with one accessory - a military vest, a Tinguely-like machine orchestra, and a pastry-making workshop. After the inventive collective was given carte blanche for this project, they thought of using the relationship with objects as the common thread running through the performances.

“The idea is to create a convivial space that is peaceful and light but also sparks interest in observation. We would like for the spectators to look at art with a curious eye since they are so inspired by what is happening around them... to provide a perspective refresher, of sorts,” describes Marius Schaffter. The performer and his two collaborators Jérôme Stünzi et Sarah André shaped the garden with the idea that action creates a space and not the opposite. As hours and days pass, the trees of this little corner of paradise will provide shade to festival-goers raising a glass one minute and to artists and their public the next. Since it is the eye of the spectator that brings art to life, Marius Schaffter compares this ephemeral space that is both atypical and poetic to a museum; the difference is that we do not know ahead of time where the pieces will be placed. The surprise will make the experience all the more sweet.