top of page

Le sacre du Printemps
(The Rite of Spring)

薩維耶 • 勒華  |  Xavier LE ROY

Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)

2007

Video by César Vayssié (record excerpt)

16’11”

Courtesy of the artist

In 2003, the Berlin Philharmonic and conductor, Sir Simon Denis Rattle, performed “The Rite of Spring”, which was also danced by 250 youths. After seeing the rehearsal of the orchestra within “Rhythm Is It!”, a documentary of this performance, Xavier Le Roy composed a choreography of “The Rite of Spring” using conductor’s gestures. These movements addressed to the public have the potential to transform each spectators in virtual musicians. This experience is extended by a set of loudspeakers placed under the seats of the audience and connected to a matrix made by Peter Böhm (sound engineer) to spatially recompose the music recording, and therefore, simulate the orchestra layout. These operations result in the effect of an inversion of cause and function: the performer (Xavier le Roy), through his gestures and movements, guides the members (the public) to watch, see, hear and listen the music; at the same time, the soundscape of what’s being performed direct the conductor to execute specific gestures and movements. The sound installation performed coupled with a reconstructed recording of the music played on the loudspeakers lead to a directed paradox—a causal relationship between “human” and “machine.”

Artist description

Xavier Le Roy graduated from the University of Montpellier in France with a doctorate in molecular biology. Since 1991, he has started to work as an artist. Since 2018, he has been a professor at the Giessen Institute of Applied Theater in Germany. He has also performed with many dance companies and choreographers. His works include solo dance "The Rite of Spring" (2007), "Untitled" (2014); group dance "Low Pieces" (2011); and works created for exhibition spaces, such as "Production" (2011) in collaboration with Mårten Spångberg, "Untitled" (2012) created in the exhibition "12 Rooms", "Retrospective" (2012) at the Barcelona Tapiés Foundation. "Temporary 2015" invited by the Kaldor Public Art Project, and "For the Unfaithful Replica" in collaboration with Scarlet Yu at the CA2M Art Center in Madrid. These works explore the relationships between the public and the performers and the composition of the subject through the creation of the situation. His works produce situations that question the relationships between spectators/visitors and performers and are attempt to transform or reconfigure dichotomies such as: object / subject, animal / human, machine / human, nature / culture, public / private, form / unform.

  • Grey Facebook Icon
bottom of page