Asterion the Minotaur, Ariadne the spider and now Lilith, with the face of a woman and the body of a scorpion… The giant creatures of the La Machine company are preparing to walk the streets of Toulouse from Friday 25 October to Sunday 27 October in – a second opus titled Guardian of the Temple. The Door of Darkness. Already in 2018, the Minotaur and the spider traveled through the city for four days in front of more than 900,000 spectators. From his imagination François Delarozière, artistic director of the company set in Nantes after leaving the Pink City in the late 1980s, the “chimeras,” as he calls them, will wander from the city center to the banks of the Garonne, according to a script delivered in dribbles and drabs.
“The important thing is that people are moving, looking, coming across creatures and looking up”points out the one who oversees every step, from initial sketches to complex constructions, to their journey. Thus, Asterion, Ariadne and Lilith will begin, on Friday morning, an urban ballet under the sign of hell and darkness. A theme that did not please the conservative Catholic circles of the city at all. “Freed by Hades, king of the underworld, Lilith wanders from city to city in search of damned souls”specify the presentation notebook. Along her itinerary, Lilith should meet the Minotaur and Ariadne, before a grand finale on the banks of the Garonne.
Slow and hypnotic approach
For a week, on the runways of the old Montaudran airport, the same place where the Halle de La Machine was built in 2018, the teams were busy and rehearsed. Because to deal with the three big creatures over 10 meters tall and 38 tons, all trades are needed. More than 192 show workers, 140 volunteers and around 800 municipal agents will be mobilized to bring the show to life or manage the crowd. Lilith alone requires the presence of 19 “manipulators”, installed on or at the feet of the machine. To ensure a protective perimeter during the walks, around 100 volunteers, called “patators”, will be responsible for keeping the public at a safe distance.
Meanwhile, costume designer Gaëlle Choveau and her team of about twenty people are sewing the last buttons on 200 costumes, made from recycled materials, according to an ethic adhered to by the entire troupe. For Polo Loridant, the special effects manager, “The tension is rising, but we’re used to it. We will improvise on the spot.” On their steel frame, clad in hydraulic circuits to drive the movements, all of La Machine’s chimeras are encased in wooden shells. They breathe fire, growl and can move under falling snow. Mounted on carts, each creature appears to advance by the grace of its huge legs (manipulated by a single operator), thus offering a slow and hypnotic gait.
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