Lilting music, a forest of screens and a model landscape in the foreground. There’s nothing like a large dose of whimsy to help tackle a difficult question: how can we find the strength to rise up after a catastrophe? Where can we find the recourses we need to overcome adversity and carry on? A mix of shadow puppetry and theatre of objects, through a patchwork of animated images, this work tells the story of 10-year-old Aruna and her resilience in the face of the ruins of her home, her city and her life. At the front of the stage, we see a table with a miniature devastated landscape, built in gravel. Filmed live, the ruins move and come to life, showing us what came before, what remains and the uphill battle to rebuild. Yet it is not sadness that triumphs in this work, but poetry and imagination.

Marie Plantin