Artists
LE PHUN "LES GÛMES" (France)
Creating strange and ephemeral transformations of place, Le Phun will construct magical installations focusing on things that grow from the earth. These are Les Gûmes, peculiar half-human and half-plant beings from the vegetable kingdom that welcome guests into their world, and are ironically very similar to us. Audiences in small groups will progress through the performance installations throughout each day of the festival until dusk, to be amused, delighted and connected with another world.
“The Greenhouse” is a world of secrets where the audience learns all about Les Gumes. They can visit “The Nursery”, where the young seedlings are born and educated, then the peep-show, “Artichoke”, where we witness the torrid eroticism of the pollinating flowers. In “The Cemetery of Dead Flowers”, Rosie Mauve accompanies cut flowers up to their moment of death, and compassionately watches over their final resting place.
In “The Hole”, we meet the rather crazy, Boulnaz, who extols the virtues of decomposition and re-composition of humus, offering everyone a botanical reincarnation after their death.
Big-Pure, “The Guru”, is grafted to his armchair. This wise old man teaches a young runaway, Magnolia, where to plant her seeds and sets her off on a journey of initiation.
In “The Ancient City”, Phylostakis (aka Dr Bamboo) has found traces of an ancient Gume civilisation. Along his compost trail he teaches us their Genesis and way of life.
Tom Puce, a young Gume, was once alone, but he’s now made friends with Botanic Park’s 1,500 trees. His favourite, “The Weeping Tree”, adores storytelling and theatre, especially tragedies.
In “Mr Wood”, Romain Wood, the famous Gume architect, artist, sculptor and interior designer, explains the fundamental principles of his future Botanical City, using a 3D model.
In “Lilian’s Garden”, a beautiful plant gently observes the similarities and differences between humans and plants, introducing us to the timidity of the carrot, the jealousy of the cabbage and the lettuce waltz.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday until 7:30pm at Speakers Corner
