Théo Mercier
OUTREMONDE, The Sleeping Chapter
© OUTREMONDE, The Sleeping Chapter, Théo Mercier © Erwan Fichou ©
© OUTREMONDE, The Sleeping Chapter, Théo Mercier © Erwan Fichou ©
© OUTREMONDE, The Sleeping Chapter, Théo Mercier © Erwan Fichou ©
Design, Théo Mercier
Artistic collaboration, sand sculptures, Michela Ciappini, Enguerrand David, Johannes Hogebrink et Agnese Rudzīte-Kirillova
Musical and sound composition, Pierre Desprats
Sound design, Vanessa Court
Light design, Alexis Coussement (ACL), Théo Mercier and François Boulet
Sound engineer, Serge Lacourt
Lighting director, Antonin Legrand and Jonathan Toussaint
Artwork fabrication assistants, Célia Boulesteix, Rémi Gaubert, Robinson Guillermet, Mathias Palazzi, Thomas Viers, with the support of Jules Cassignol and Oundène Godefroy
Carpentry, Atelier Cameo
General manager, François Boulet
Studio manager and artistic consultant, Céline Peychet
Produced by Studio Théo Mercier and Good World
Many thanks to the team of the Centre des monuments nationaux, Rebeka Warrior, Jonathan Drillet, Collection Lambert, Festival d'Avignon, Fondation Luma, Zürcher Theater Spektakel, Antoine Allain, Julie Esplendiu, Erwan Fichou, Maud Petit, Emanuele Coccia, Joseph Schiano di Lombo, Makoto Chill Ôkubo, Carine Carment, Nathalie Vimeux, Delphine Vuattoux
With support from the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès as part of theNew Settings program
In partnership with the Centre des monuments nationaux
With production support from the Ministry of Culture – Drac Bretagne
Théo Mercier is a partner artist at the Théâtre National de Bretagne.
Théo Mercier is represented by the mor charpentier gallery in Paris and the Casado Cantapau gallery in Madrid
Somewhere between a cathedral dedicated to sleep and a safe haven derived from a dream, the Conciergerie de Paris introduces OUTREMONDE, The Sleeping Chapter, an interactive exhibition entirely made from sand, brought to life by bodies and darkness.
Featuring sand, a unique material, as well as a live score for six performers, OUTREMONDE The Sleeping Chapter is a journey, a caress, or perhaps, a tentative venture into the pitch-black night, REM sleep, and lucid dreaming. Under the domes of the Conciergerie, we see a vast expanse of beds made from sand, or rather, unmade, abandoned, guarded in silence by dogs lying in the dark. The exhibition, a dorm room harboring every possible and impossible kind of sleep, takes you from your crib to your death bed, with a nuptial bed and a makeshift cot along the way. Sleepers are notably absent from this space frozen in time. When the sun rises, we see the shapes of their bodies and folds in the sheets, hear them breathing, and wonder where they are. This series of performances is like an initiatory, psychedelic fairy tale, exploring uncharted realms. The visitors, guided by an all-knowing child, embark on a sleep tour, meeting many a sleepwalker along the way. By embracing a child’s outlook on the night, The Sleeping Chapter taps into the knowledge, the poetry, the vulnerability, and the inferno living inside each person’s bed.