Gathering spectators and artists in one place is no trivial act, in as much as the significance of the event goes beyond mere cultural entertainment. Every summer, far° aims to create a festival that invites people to gather, get involved and challenge themselves. The same dynamic once again underpins our approach to this 33rd festival, entitled Nos futurs (‘our futures’). Playing on this title, we aim to broaden our perspectives by revealing optimistic world views and initiatives that we feel should be highlighted. Indeed, many claim that we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in our civilisation and reveal a need to reinvent our relationship with reality. Why not join this booming movement then?
Nos futurs gathers artists and artworks that explore the potential of performing arts in shaping new approaches, whether with a playful use of conditional grammar in stories, by accepting the idea of the body as a transducer for forces and signals that are beyond us, or with the use of in-situ performances to test alternative visions of reality. In that sense, the artists on display seek to break away from that which is self-evident, pointing out the frenetic pace and restrictions of our daily lives, and widening the gaps to break out of them. They invite us to question our fears and hopes, rekindle thought as well as sensitivity, design practical laboratories for democracy, invoke dance as a magical act and create myths.
If one requires room for experimenting to invent, then far° provides such space. The 2017 festival is based on the world as it is, to consider what it might become, to try and occupy new imaginary worlds which one day might expand into reality.
Véronique Ferrero Delacoste
and the far° team
