In 2024 brachten Stéphane Girard en Camille Beaumier van Gratte Ciel hun spectaculaire voorstelling RozéO naar Oerol. Begin dit jaar keerden ze op uitnodiging van het festival terug naar Terschelling voor een residentie. Tijdens zo’n residentie worden makers uitgenodigd om zich onder te dompelen in de natuur en cultuur van het eiland – als inspiratiebron en vertrekpunt voor nieuw werk. Stéphane en Camille delen vanaf nu elke maand een reflectie op hun verblijf in de Vriendenkrant. In deze editie lees je over de bijzondere ontmoetingen die ze onderweg hadden.
There is light, there is bitterness and the gaze towards an invisible distance steeped in history, where air currents, water currents, the Tanto sea and the wind have moved the sand to create an island in the middle of the sky. A magical place, a timeless place made by and for travel. That of the migratory birds before mankind, like scouts resting in the heart of the dunes, where the sky is reflected in the water, where the short, thick vegetation has anchored the sand.
I've always thought that human beings were shaped by geography.
Here the villages, the houses, the walls, the windows are painted black. The horses are black too, I see this colour as a sign of inner warmth.
Because the outside world is harsh, the islanders have developed a warm soul.
And then there are the luminous red signals, this luminous red that flashes, that calls out, that says be careful! This is an island where you have to be careful, it's an island in tension, carried by the unique attention that connects us to the deepest part of what it means to live on the living earth, we can't stop the movement of an earth that rotates in space at the speed of light, so it's quite normal that this results in some powerful winds.
Let's accept that we are fragile in the face of these elements, which are not unleashed but very much alive, so that the sense of community, of being together here, takes on an unprecedented force. We were captivated by the singing of 40 men to the sound of the women's music, the card games around the table, the family, the village and the community take on their full meaning here. You can't be alone on this island, you can't be alone, you can only be together, you can only be together and pool our strengths and our joys.
So we're looking forward to this legendary festival that resonates in our distant Delta in the Provençal Camargue. Oerol is a breath of fresh air, exulting in a shared joy, being together in Terschelling, being with neighbours, being with friends, the home of a vibrant energy.
Stéphane Girard