Itmahrag
As part of the European tour of Olivier Dubois’s multidisciplinary show “Itmahrag”, the studio created a light sculpture.
Olivier Dubois has lived between Paris and Cairo for many years, and here, for the first time, he presents his own vision of present-day Egypt: Itmahrag. A performance that plunges spectators into the heart of a dance that he describes as “incendiary”.
A luminous cadence
From dazzling sunshine to total or partial eclipse, the suspended structure designed by the studio for the dance company accompanies and supports the artists around it. Thanks to its self-centring rotation, this motorised monolith portions up the light that comes onto the stage and sets the tempo for how the movements appear. The flamboyant neon colours are a reference to the fiery Egyptian youth in search of freedom that inspired the choreographer: “for there are impulses that only youth can bring forth”.
At times bearing luminous symbols, evoking a psychedelic rave or an alarming flashing beacon, this raw, technical structure becomes the banner of a political message.
“A fire dance, with the kind of fire that makes your blood run red, that terrifies, that often burns and always warms you up.” Olivier Dubois.
![Fig. 1 [Frontal axonometry of a scenographic and scenic space]](https://pafatelier.com/media/pages/projets/itmahrag/de25b605fa-1694628916/axo-frontale-itmaharag-400x.png)
![Fig. 2 [View from left to right: front, 45° and back of the motorised monolith]](https://pafatelier.com/media/pages/projets/itmahrag/d21c1d4cf8-1694628915/elevation-400x.png)