Laurent Mareschal

Whether he invites spectators to eat an edible carpet or to play backgammon with melting checkers, Laurent Mareschal works with ephemeral art. Backgammon, a collective performance, invites experienced backgammon players to compete on a transparent table and ice cubes as checkers. Through the heat of their fingers, the ice cube checkers liquefy, drawing arabesques before disappearing into a puddle. One can see a metaphor of a useless conflict which ends with the death of soldiers and where the borders are blurred.

Created in 2003, this performance has since been redesigned for Le Théâtre du Capitole’s orchestra pit. The spectator is invited to observe the performance from above or from the majestic Italian-style room below.