I worked as a photographer for the theater company "Compagnie Comité 8.1". I had the opportunity to contribute to their production titled "Nos Vertiges Intérieurs" by providing my personal video, "Lying on Oak Vol1," as a projection during the performance. This collaboration brought together the life of the Argentine poet Alexandra Pizarnik and the autofiction of author, director, and actor Jean-Philippe Albizzatti, creating a mesmerizing theatrical experience.
Within "Nos Vertiges Intérieurs," the talented actress Ambre Kahn embodies the Argentine poet in a play that intertwines Pizarnik's life with the autobiographical elements of Jean-Philippe Albizzatti. The performance suggests and establishes a universe suspended between dreams and nightmares, delicately balancing on the edge.
The journey begins in darkness, with Ambre Kahn wearing a sculptural white dress and a red coat. She portrays a pre-Raphaelite Alejandra Pizarnik, slowly wetting her long black hair in a basin. In the background, Gisèle Rapp-Meichlet's videos, projected on stage, alternate between evocative images that bridge the gap between the present and the past, connecting here and there. The videos eloquently complement the words of the mythical Argentine poet.
Alejandra Pizarnik, who tragically took her own life at the age of 36, left behind a haunting legacy through her poetic collections, such as "Arbres de Diane" (1962) and "L'enfer musical" (1971). With elegance and occasional traces of anger, Ambre Kahn masterfully embodies this "Bloody Princess," delivering carefully chosen and impactful words from the poet's works. Supported by the video projections, she intertwines her shadow with those of other great 20th-century artists, such as Loie Fuller, or other femme fatales like Ophelia from Hamlet, as she slides beneath a pile of fallen leaves.
The entrance of Jean-Philippe Albizzatti on stage brings an unexpected and significant twist. Calmly, he narrates the story of an impossible love, a love that ends in tragedy, echoing the raw words of the Argentine poet. The dual monologue seamlessly transitions into a dialogue within our minds, and as we exit the theater, we are left with an overwhelming desire to open or revisit Pizarnik's collections, to reencounter her uncompromising and deeply lived-through writing.
