After the participatory epic of the Cauchemar de Séville in 2022, Massimo Furlan returns to Les Tombées de la Nuit, alongside Claire de Ribaupierre, for the second part of their trilogy on relationships, De la terre. In Avec l’animal, the Swiss director and playwright examine the rivers and forests surrounding Lausanne, and the ecosystems and environments where animals and humans coexist. Through anecdotes and other stories from hunting and fishing enthusiasts and experts, they explore our relationship or lack thereof with the natural world. “If you no longer know the environment, you are neglecting it. If you exploit it too much, you destroy it,” they say.

On stage, a fisherman (Serge Bregnard) and a hunter (Bernard Magnin) talk about the study carried out by the artists, as well as their own practices and actions, caught between traditions and contemporary issues.

Avec l’animal examines what connects us, what we have in common with the world, and in the process, shining a light on the often paradoxical diversity of our relationship with nature.