english
Between 2008 and 2013, nine French and British organisations supporting outdoor artistic creation and performance have led a European transnational project called ZEPA, European zone of artistic projects. They worked with a French company, Générik Vapeur and a Welsh company NoFit State Circus to develop two large-scale performances. Waterlitz and Barricade. These two productions were created following the various journeys experienced by the artists through the landscape and with the community within the ZEPA area. From Brest to Great Yarmouth through to Brighton, Amiens and Loos-en-Gohelle, Winchester, Southampton and Sotteville-lès-Rouen, the banks of the Channel have become a unique space for artistic and cultural exchanges, involving over 60 companies and many communities.

British writer John Ellingsworth and French writer Marc Villemain have both followed the creative process and the shared moments generated by these two transnational adventures and relate them in this bilingual book. Their pieces bring out childhood impressions and comical situations, point out encounters with the audience and the pionnering “all terrain” approach of the public space by the artist and associates. The two writers highlight the most significant aspects of this “oh so European” Anglo-French intercultural project.

The book is fleshed out with meaningful images and by testimonies from the public, the artists or the key players of the nine regions involved, including from the organisations members of the ZEPA network itself. Fabien Persil offers and illustrated counterpoint on the winter festival Fish & Chips, which has now become, along with the Out There festival, a symbol of his transnational and European journey.

français
Entre 2008 et 2012, neuf structures françaises et britanniques engagées dans la création et la diffusion des arts de la rue, ont animé un projet européen transfrontalier appelé ZEPA. Deux compagnies artistiques à l’écriture très engagées et produisent deux spectacles d’envergure: « Waterlitz » pour la compagnie française Générik Vapeur, et « Barricade » pour la compagnie galloise NoFit State Circus.

Cet ouvrage décrit toutes les étapes de création et les rencontres générées par ces deux aventures transfrontalières et les racontent dans cet ouvrage bilingue. L’ouvrage est enrichi par une iconographie diversifiée et par des témoignages de public, d’artistes ou d’acteurs des neufs régions impliquées.