Lille, 14 March, inauguration of ‘Europe XXL’, 4 months of events and exhibitions for a ” journey of discovery through a new continent, a voyage through a Europe transfigured 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall”. ‘Grande parade’ with artists and installations coming from the four corners of the continent: Bal aerien by the Catalan Fura del Baus; the French Transe Express with its immense animated puppets. Orchestre Internationale du Vetex putting together Flemish, Walloons and French musicians with a Balkan flavour. DJ Click, a “globetrotter based in Paris” shaking bodies and souls. The German DJ Shantel pioneering the ‘Balkan clubbing’ and provoking moments of collective delirium, plus…a kletzmer orchestra and Bulgarian voices accompanying 1000 corists from everywhere in Europe gathered to sing Eastern European famous songs. And more. More shows, more sounds, more performances, more special effects melting up in a explosive mix of cultures and of joy, also reported in a blog. 

The Giant - (c) rommens on Flickr

 
Brussels, 22 March, Theatre ‘La Monnaie’: opera “La balade du grand macabre”. Drama written by Michel de Ghelderode, bilingual “bruxellois”, in 1934. Transformed in opera in the mid 70s by György Ligeti, Hungarian Jewish grown in Rumania and later Austrian citizen, and by the German-Swedish puppeteer Michael Meschke. Presented this year for the first time in Brussels under the musical direction of the young British Leo Hussan and the “concept” (mise en scene, choreography, videos, installations..) by – again – the explosive fantasy of Fura del Baus (based in Barcelona, but cosmopolite as their creations). The result?! Almost three hours of “all-around show”, combining some classical elements of the European opera with courageous and debunking digital projections, a surrealistic story taking place inside, on top, around and under the the colossal moving-statue occupying the entire stage and representing a woman, ‘the’ woman”, or, better, the human kind.

This is the Europe I want. And this is why I want to work for Europe. But this is also the Europe we should learn to communicate.

 
Why I mention these two events, what do they have to do with the European Parliament’s WebUnit blog? Because this is the Europe I want. And this is why I want to work for Europe. But this is also the Europe we should learn to communicate. Differences that create a new, unique and unexpected harmony. Combination of traditions, roots and stories. Cross-road of travels and  experiences. Stories that come together and generate totally unexpected, unforeseen richness. This creation of a new imaginary that is more than the sum of the elements composing it, this enthusiasm, this magic. This is what we should tell about Europe. “United in diversity”: how to represent this better than with a night of music, shows and joy? Or than an opera digging into all the European traditions to construct a totally new, surprising effect? Making people experience Europe: cannot this be one way of communicating Europe? The city of Lille has promoted such an event: could not the EU do the same?!

NB: you can read more about the Lille’s event on this blog.