The experience Rencontres puts users, i.e. spectators immersed in this interactive work, in the grips of inextricable situations they already know, but which they will be able to push to their limits and find the thread of a solution when they least expect it. In Rencontres n°1 The Crowd, they are faced with individuals who refuse all forms of communication, in favor of a mortifying “entre-soi”. In Rencontres n°2 The Birds, they are confronted by poultry whose only thought is to continue eating noxious food (generated by the users themselves). In Rencontres n°3 Colossus, they are giants whose actions cause planes to proliferate to a saturation point. Each episode is punctuated by rain, from a few drops in the introduction, to a full- blown storm, giving way to a damp fog before the Epilogue. My intention in this project, is to build up a rapid and powerful solastalgia around the spectacle of the disaster and the desolation already there and yet to come. Upon this, in the Epilogue, I’m trying, with a strong contrast to create a privileged moment for an asynchronous dialogue between spectators. Participants can record, as a character of Rencontres, a kind of haiku with their own words, their own voice along with their very own movements imprinted in the 3D world of the experience. These haikus are recorded, selected by our team and replayed asynchronously. They constitute a treasure that can grow every time a spectator comes in the world of Rencontres. This project can be considered as a place where a gift can be made, a gift from all categories of people, all ages, trade, belief, race or gender. I believe that dead ends for us, for our planet, proceed from the impossibility to truly listen, truly share and exchange views. That generates enormous resentment. Rencontres is about rediscovering the thread of a simple—some would say naïve—idea, that of collective, joint and concerted action, resulting from dialogue and, first and foremost, of the action of listening. The climate disasters are those of non-listening, pushed to the point of caricature, which is no longer even ashamed of itself, no longer even pretending having any interest in the destinies of humankind. This project is an invitation to connect with others, and ultimately with ourselves.
