Katia Kameli: The Canticle of the Birds

A solo presentation by the French-Algerian artist and filmmaker that reinterprets The Conference of the Birds,a 12th-century epic poem by Farid ud-Din Attar, in which a flock of birds search for a mighty ruler and ultimately find their strength within themselves.

In Kameli’s video Le Cantique des oiseaux (2022) actresses process while playing bird-shaped ceramic instruments, an eerie procession that stands in sharp contrast to the urban environment of Paris. A follow-up film, Le Cantique des oiseaux, variation (2022), was staged in a seaside garden on the French Riviera; here, the physical challenge of dancing while playing fragile ceramic instruments creates a visible tension between the performers’ bodies and the delicate artwork. The earthenware instruments are bird-shaped ocarinas, created by Kameli with ceramicist Marie Picard; to bring these sculptural birds to life, Kameli worked with composer Aurélie Sfez and choreographer Youness Anzane.

To 11 November.

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