The directors thoughts on Kintsugi

Explore. Search. Celebrate.

One of the things that drives me the most about Machine de Cirque (and as an artist in general) is this desire to always investigate new areas for each of the creations; avoiding redundancy, settling for what’s comfortable. With Kintsugi, we definitely bring the human being in all its complexity to the foreground. The dramaturgy inspires the circus and its disciplines, rather than the other way around. I wanted to create performance challenges for the artists on stage, to go back and forth between disciplines and chronology, step outside the box, and even push the envelope to the point of sometimes forgetting we’re attending a circus show.

Simply put, we’re being told a story.
And the circus magnifies the story’s movements and symbols.

Finding my inspiration from a loved one who has often seemed able to turn storms into sunny breaks, we explored the stormy sides of humans, looked for light piercing through the darkness and celebrated solidarity. Always trying to find the bright spots that, despite the journey’s obstacles, give us the energy to continue to push forward. The beauty of resilience.

We sometimes have to rely on chance to find ourselves.
Explore. Search. Celebrate.
As a spectator.
As an artist.
As a human being.

Olivier Lépine
Director of Kintsugi