BETTERLAND
BODY TERRITORY
Marion Coulomb · Pépita Car
THE PROJECT / BODY TERRITORY is about those stories that prevent us from speaking, where the law is absent, where justice is non-existent, rare or inappropriate. What could be better than a feminist Western to give us the freedom to imagine the escapes, the emancipations, the collective reparations necessary to build the future?
3 women. One rope and many knives. Stories of grandmothers, of generations that have not known freedom of speech, of migrant women who have faced questions of territory and injustice, of women who have been judged, sometimes condemned. Stories, both real and fictional, in order to be free to reclaim our words, our stories and our bodies, will spill out of the intimate space of the stage.
A polyphonic revolt that will try to solve the riddle of a better world.
BIO / Marion Coulomb and Pépita Car met in March 2021 for a week of research at Latitude 50 (BE) around their creation LA BOITE DE PANDORE. Combining personal and artistic materials, they decided to collaborate on a work with political implications and “public utility.” In 2023, they founded BETTERLAND, and began developing their next show, BODY TERRITORY. Betterland represents an imaginary space where creation and resistance coexist, with an artistic approach that addresses issues of intimacy, injustice, and violence.
Marion Coulomb was born in the Ardèche in 1991. After a period of violence, she went to boarding school, developed an interest in the visual arts and obtained a BTS in graphic design and publishing. At 24, she realised that she didn’t know her own body. She explored circus schools such as Piste d’Azur, Le Salto and Passe-Muraille to reclaim it. In 2018, she co-founded Deux dames au volant and created street performances.
Pépita Car was born in Marseille in 1988 into a family of artists. She studied at EM Lyon and specialised in cultural management at ENSATT. She worked in cultural diplomacy in Buenos Aires, Shanghai and Ottawa, managing multidisciplinary projects for over 6 years. On her return to France, she became involved in eco-feminist politics. When she was asked to help Marion Coulomb tell her personal story, it was a natural choice. Today, Pépita is a director, musician and actor who creates micro-societies on stage that address contemporary issues.