An Imperial War Museums 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund commission, produced by by Compagnie XY
An elderly man carrying a shopping bag crosses a street and is confronted by a line of strangers, all dressed in black. They hold out their arms towards him and he returns their embrace, a smile breaking out on his face. A woman gingerly exits a hairdressing salon by walking over the backs of people lying across the floor like a spider’s web. They carry her out on their shoulders and she waves delightedly to passers-by.
This is but a tiny sample of the wordless, unexpected interventions staged by Compagnie XY, a world-famous, 40-strong collective of artists and acrobats based in the French city of Lille, who made a surprise visit to Derry in September 2022. The company’s work champions the value of community spirit, mutual trust and human interaction, achieved through the simple yet psychologically complex act of being lifted, held and raised up by total strangers. They extend their invitations kindly, softly and with warmth; time and time again, whatever the surroundings or the individuals concerned, the results are profoundly moving.
At the end of this month, Compagnie XY will be at the centre of After the Rain, a spectacular, open-air public event to be staged in the centre of Derry during the Bank Holiday weekend.It is the culmination of several years’ work and planning and offers a rare opportunity for Irish audiences to witness one of the best contemporary circus companies in the world performing alongside the best of Northern Ireland’s circus artists on home turf.
After the Rain is an Imperial War Museums 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund commission, forged in partnership with Ulster Presents at Ulster University, and co-produced by Derry’s In Your Space Circus, in association with Circusful (formerly Belfast Circus School) and Institut Français. The fund is a UK-wide partnership programme of over 20 artist commissions, inspired by the heritage of conflict. Its £2.5 million commissioning programme has been supported by royalties from Peter Jackson’s extraordinary World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, which was co-commissioned by IWM and 14-18 NOW.
Ulster Presents, its commissioning partner, is Ulster University’s new civic arts and culture programme, whose aim is to present and make widely available world class work by regional and international artists.
Cian Smyth, arts and culture programme manager at Ulster University, is a highly experienced cultural curator, programmer and producer, who has worked on a wide range of projects for London 2012, Hull UK City of Culture and 14-18 NOW, amongst others.
“Compagnie XY is unique”, he says. “There isn’t anyone else like them in the world. I first encountered them over ten years ago and I thought I must get them to Ireland some day.
“When I started working for Hull City of Culture in 2016, I was given the circus portfolio and went to see them in the Roundhouse in London. In 2019, through friends who were involved with the Thamesmead Festival in Greenwich, I was introduced to them and I discovered that Antoine Billaud, the company’s producing manager, had studied law and political science in Belfast during the 1990s. He told me he’d always wanted to bring Compagnie XY to Northern Ireland.
“So we had a bit of a chat and did up a little budget. I kept thinking how the hell am I going to make this happen, but then this funding opportunity came along and we managed to stitch it all together”.
The 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement provided Smyth with a welcome commissioning opportunity. He had in mind a large-scale event that would celebrate the resilience of the civilians of Northern Ireland in sustaining the peace. In the knowledge that all manner of conferences, debates and new writing were in the ether, much of it revolving around the Clintons, Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, his belief was that more words were not needed. On the contrary, he felt that something physical and non-verbal, involving the wider population, could make a powerful contribution to the commemorations. Enter Compagnie XY.
Its Derry presentation is the latest episode in Les Voyages, a thought-provoking performance programme, which, in 18 different manifestations, has been taken into communities in Palestine, Serbia, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, England, as well as all over France. Each is inspired by the lives of the chosen location’s population.
Billaud explains how company members arrive in a town and immediately go out and about, unannounced. They sound out the dynamic on the street so as to get a feel for the environment and the local communities. They meet local people in their everyday lives, in the places where they live, work and socialise. Then, setting aside all political and personal baggage, they silently beckon them into their world.
“We eliminate social backgrounds, interpersonal difficulties, conflict, physical or psychological wounds, and invite people to enter a safe bubble”’ he says. “We go outside conventional theatre audiences, towards people who might never cross the door of a theatre, who are perhaps afraid of going to the theatre, who think theatre is not for them. Without speaking, we offer them to be part of our creative process. Secure and trusting in our care, they can allow themselves to let go and take a short unknown trip. We leave them with a feeling of achievement, that they’ve done something they never would have done before”.
The involvement of local artists has been a crucial part of the project, as well as the aspiration to leave behind a creative legacy which has potential to grow and expand. The Guildhall Square performance will bring together twenty members of Compagnie XY with nine local acrobats, a parkour artist, a graffiti artist, a spoken word artist, musicians and a community choir. It will constitute an intriguing and fun introduction to the exciting art form of contemporary circus.
“The public should understand that they will not be seeing elephants on footballs or clowns in funny cars”, says Smyth. “Contemporary circus is an art form that brings in techniques from contemporary dance and combines them with traditional circus elements. It’s all about the human body; it’s non-verbal and blends acrobatic and traditional circus skills with movement and dance, to tell a story or create an atmosphere or an artistic moment.
“Compagnie XY is expert at bringing performance into non-conventional arts spaces and venues. Everything happens on the streets and in places where people live. They respond to the architecture and geography of the place they’re in. In Derry, you have the walls, the Guildhall, the city gates, the River Foyle, the murals … all of which mark that performance in that city”.
“Working with Compagnie XY has been a game-changing experience”, says Rachel Melaugh, creative director of In Your Space Circus.
“It’s been awe-inspiring to observe their process and watch them bringing this ambitious piece to life, using every nook and cranny of our city. When they explained their methodology of exploring physical and spiritual resilience in the face of obstacles, through a collective acrobatic act of lifting each other up, it sounded terrifying.
“Derry people are naturally cautious and we weren’t sure about how they would respond, but it was amazing to see their reactions. Apart from being fantastic performers, the company members are very warm and approachable. They do everything with a smile. Many people had really emotional and powerful experiences. In some cases, it was like witnessing the release of trauma”.
This will be a rare and exclusive event for Derry, the world premiere of a new work, entirely inspired by the city, its artists and its citizens. Compagnie XY hardly ever accepts individual requests. As well as being the first work it has produced on the island of Ireland, this is one of only two new commissions it has taken on. The other is for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. But it has made a deep impression on the company.
“As in Palestine, we feel that we are at the beginning of a process with In Your Space and Circusful”, says Billaud. “Fifteen minutes after meeting them, we really connected.
“We have been working with beautiful and talented local artists. We are excited to participate with them and support each other. We have learned a lot from them; they are pioneers of contemporary circus and they work with music – music is everywhere here. We have found in Derry a new, creative home. Yes, we have things to do in Northern Ireland.”
Melaugh shares that sentiment: “We could never dreamed of being given the opportunity to work on this scale with a company like Compagnie XY. It’s also been important in terms of legacy. We all hope that After the Rain will not be the end of our partnership but the beginning of something really special and inspiring”.
After the Rain was performed on Sunday 27 & Monday 28 August in Guildhall Square, Derry-Londonderry.
This article first appeared in The Irish Times on 21 August 2023
The Even Hand 