About Mère Nature

Anxiety, sorrow, tension and the fear of the unknown. Today people are live at a hectic pace. Negative emotions in modern society are devour us. The endless pursuit of entertainment and material satisfaction only provide temporary relief. Technology and modern comforts have disconnected from Mother Earth. Nature has tremendous healing and nurturing power - our attempt is to provide a cathartic with a performance of poetry, dance, and music based on an ancient concept of mother nature.

The Mythology

This performance is in honor of goddess of agriculture, Demeter, whose daughter was abducted by the god of the underworld, Hades. In grief and anger, Demeter begins a journey seeking out her daughter Kore. As she leaves the Upper World, all the fruits and plants on earth begin to wither, people suffer famine. With the help of Zeus, she retrieves Kore, and with joy returns to Olympus. The return of Kore makes the grains grow again. Demeter and Kore now celebrate their reunion while human beings celebrate the rebirth of nature. However, Demeter discovers that Kore had eaten six pomegranate seeds, food of the underworld. This restricted her to stay in the underworld with Hades for two-thirds of the year before she could go back to her mother. This, according to Greek Mythology, is the creation of the seasons.

The Performance

At the start of the performance, Demosthenes Davvetas provides an overview of Greek philosophy and symbolisms which the audience can use as an explanation of the whole performance and its connection with Mother Nature.

Through the story of Demeter and Kore, our goal is to create an experience of ancient sounds and movements which immerse the audience in a primitive vibration. We reinterpret the ancient mythology with a contemporary touch comprising choreography, poetry and organic rhythm. We introduce the audience to the cycles of life and death, and leverage performing arts as a tool to explain a mythological ritual.

The audience experiences the different emotional states of the mother through powerful physical expressions along with the recitation of Greek poetry and vigorous drumming. Near the end of the performance, the audience will be invited to celebrate the joy of rebirth with the performers.

The artists

Demosthenes Davvetas

The professor of philosophy at the IESA art & culture, poet and visual artist. Demosthenes is the former collaborator of the newspaper Libération and the magazines Art Forum, Parkett, ArtStudio, ArtPress, he was also a cultural advisor to the Greek government. He has published many booked related to renowned artists such as Marina Abramovic and Joseph Beuys.

Chia Hui Chen

After studying at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, she moved to Paris to continue exploring her passion for contemporary dance. From Ballet to Tai-Chi and Chinese folk dance, Chia Hui’s expertise is diverse. She continues improving her academic training by attending workshops of organizations such as: Cloud Gate theatre (Taiwan); Hofesh Shechter Company (UK); and Trisha Brown Dance Company (US)

Who are we?

We are four women who come from all over the world. We believe art has the power to sooth damaged souls. Mère Nature is our student art project. We hope we can create an unforgettable experience by bringing the story of Demeter back to life.

It is a small-scale project with big ambition. We have invited artists with different nationalities and cultural backgrounds as a demonstration that we all have a common understanding of Mother Nature.

Where? When?

The project will be held in 1 cité Griset 75011, Paris. On the 3rd of July at 20:00.