How can the life of an old woman find an echo in the life of a young man? Eric Philippoz (DAI, 2012) invites you to his performance "Laisser les piolets au bas de la paroi"at Theater Roxy

| tag: Basel

Wednesday the 14th and Thursday the 15th of March, 8pm

Returning home. In 2012, after a few years spent abroad, visual artist Eric Philippoz settled back in his native village in the Swiss Alps, with a project in mind: renovating the house of his deceased grandmother. Despite being quite difficult, this return allowed him to reconnect with his 95 years old neighbour: as a young woman, she’d left the village to work in Geneva and only returned to the mountains as she retired. Despite their obvious age difference, both the artist and the old lady had in common the sensation of not being at the right place. During eight recorded conversations, flavoured with rosehip tea and biscuits, they shared their experience of the city, the struggle of living in a small mountain village, the memories of the places they visited or wished to visit, their mountain climbing adventures, their favourite books and songs, and stories about love, life and death.
How can the life of an old woman find an echo in the life of a young man? 

Laisser les piolets au bas de la paroi was awarded the PREMIO 2017 - Award for performing arts.

ART KLUBB / concept and performance: Eric Philippoz / stage direction and dramaturgy: Sarah-Lise Salomon Maufroy, Cédric Leproust / scenography: Laurent Pavy / light design: Aurélien Cibrario / sound design: Basile Weber / administration: Valérie Quennoz / pictures: Samuel Rubio