Fukushima, Terre des cerisiers

Show

Michael Ferrier lives in Tokyo and teaches literature at the University of Chuo. He was there on the 11th March 2011 when the earthquake and the tsunami devastated Northen Japan. The following weeks, he drives to the forbidden area to meet up with Fukushima’s nuclear plant employees and to investigate both on the causes of the disaster and on the decision-makers.

Michaël Ferrier’s novel sways between beauty and chaos, between poetry and investigation. How humanity’s genius is being questioned by tectonic shift and leads to apocalypse.

The staging abides to the 3 distinctive parts of the novel. The action sails on from the ancient Japan, from which the author borrows his style and poetry, to the contemporary world and the nuclear error.

Creation 2014

Based on the novel by Michaël Ferrier, published by Editions Gallimard

Director
Brigitte Mounier

Choreographer
Antonia Vitti

With
Brigitte Mounier

Lightning, building
Nicolas Bignan

Fresco « Cherry blossoms’ wall »
Karine Bracq

Costume
Camille Bigo, designed by Dimitri La Sad

Production
Compagnie des Mers du Nord // City of Grande-Synthe

La Compagnie is artist in residence in Grande-Synthe.
With the support of Conseil regional Hauts de France and Conseil général du Nord

The earth is shaking. The earth is shaking. Friday 11th March: 78 earthquakes. Saturday 12th: 148 earthquakes. Sunday 13th: 117 earthquakes. I decide to write down the time and magnitude of the aftershocks: 8:51 am: M.5, 9:32 am: M.4.9, 10:42 am: M.5.2, 8:37pm: M.6. I feel like I’m giving scores during a figure skating competition.

There were more than 400 aftershocks within a week. It means one earthquake every seventeen minutes, with a minimum magnitude of 5.0.

And that’s the country we built 54 nuclear plants in.

Press