Born in 1973 in the Paris suburbs, Jean-Frédéric Chevallier is a good example of what globalisation, or, better said, mondialisation can do when it works happily, that is on the left side: philosopher, theatre director and video artist, owner of three Bachelors degrees, two M. Phil and one double PhD, Chevallier was briefly lecturer at Sorbonne Nouvelle University in France and, at a longer length, professor at National University of Mexico. He is living in India since 2008, where he co-heads the tribal organisation Trimukhi Platform (dedicated to produce contemporary art forms and original thought) and the Franco-Indian magazine Fabrique de l’art. With more than 40 dance-theatre-video performances to his credit so far, he has published the essays Approche et de définition d’un tragique du 20ème siècle (ANRT, 2002), El Teatro hoy: una tipologia posible (Paso de Gato, 2011) and Deleuze et le théâtre: rompre avec la représentation (Les Solitaires Intempestifs, 2015) as well as the movie Drowning Princess (DVD L’Harmattan, 2009). More information: http://trimukhiplatform.org. Contact: jfc@trimukhiplatform.org
Special Collection: Creativity in the Time of the Pandemic 2020>>
At the Beginning of Spring War Was Over
1.
Weather was good.
We no longer knew why.
Maybe we never knew it.
The stars were twinkling without being seen.
Rarely it was raining.
We were dying of nothing.
We were no longer thinking.
2.
You were frightened.
You waited.
Then you would have chosen to no longer be afraid in order to no longer wait.
You would have chosen to no longer be sad and frightened.
You would have chosen…
You left.
You all left.
Beyond the mountains of your fathers, beyond the desert, beyond the oceans…
You would have chosen to measure your difference, you would have chosen to no longer be responsible for the death of others, you no longer wanted to abandon others to their death…
You would have chosen to leave, not with the idea of not coming back, but with the necessity of escaping death through joy.
YOU WOULD HAVE FELT SUDDENLY AND SWEETLY THAT YOU NEED AND YOU HAVE, DEEP WITHIN YOU, TO LIVE IN LOVE, FOREVER.
Translation from the French into the Bengali: Sukla Bar Chevallier
The audio records of At the Beginning of Spring War Was Over were released on April 14, 2020 on https://soundcloud.com/trimukhiplatform/sets/poetry-tracks as part of #HomemadeJoy, an initiative by Trimukhi Platform to weave relationships through distance, from one home to another.
Deserted
See the film on Youtube: https://youtu.be/pJeVX236FDk
About DESERTED
Shot with Trimukhi Platform performers in a red stone quarry and amidst Mohua trees on the outskirts of Borotalpada village, West Bengal, India, DESERTED is the new video art film by Jean-Frédéric Chevallier. Originally planed as a video installation, the film is to be watched in loop. It has been released on Trimukhi Platform’s Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/trimukhiplatform on March 22, 2020 as part of #HomemadeJoy
Credits
direction, text, cinematography, sound design and editing Jean-Frédéric Chevallier
performers Dhanajoy Hansda, Joba Hansda, Ramjit Hansda, Salkhan Hansda, Sukul Hansda, Surojmoni Hansda
production Sukla Bar Chevallier for Trimukhi Platform
recorded voice Ruchama Noorda
art advices Joseph Danan, Ruchama Noorda
video assistant and script Dhananjoy Hansda
sound assistant and electric set-up Sukul Hansda