Renowned set designer, Odile Gamache signs her first show as a creator, The shop. A scenographic work, without text or performer, the likes of which we rarely see on Montreal stages. And whose protagonist is none other than a shop deserted by customers and on the verge of closing.
This atypical project began when she started photographing the shop windows on the Plaza Saint-Hubert, near her home. “I was fascinated, especially at night, when they became like intriguing little theaters,” explains Gamache. On the Plaza, there are a lot of vacant premises, outdated windows, a little strange, semi-abandoned. And the more things went, the more I attached myself to bits of merchandise, which were a little neglected, and I saw the evolution from one week to the next. I asked myself: are we currently experiencing a transformation in Montreal and is it important that I take photos of vacant premises? It’s as if I suddenly felt that I had a mission to archive commercial heritage [rires]. »
This metamorphosis worries him. The retail trade which is established on the street, the stalls selling objects, materials, this seems to be undermined by the “formidable efficiency” of online purchasing – a trend accelerated by the pandemic. “I have the impression that the expertise of these traders is being put in danger,” underlines the designer. However, this expertise is precious, as are the human exchanges that are created in these places. She tells me about this family shoe store on the Plaza, run by a merchant who grew up above her premises, whose passion and great knowledge of leather transform shopping into a pleasant experience.
It is of course easier to order your boots on the Web, where you can quickly compare models and prices. But we gain in convenience what we lose in soul and in “relationship to the real world, ultimately”. Indeed, what is sacrificed in this increasing dematerialization of our commercial transactions is not trivial, believes Odile Gamache. “It touches on culture and a sensitivity to the world, almost to the Earth. » Through the material, the fabrics, we form “a concrete relationship with our planet, I have the impression”. And in-person shopping allows for “a special human contact in the city.” She has found that objects often become a good entry point to chat with merchants and get to know these strangers. Which doesn’t happen when you click on a site and receive the goods at home…
Even the vocabulary of artisanal areas is “threatened”. For example, terms related to making and hanging a curtain (“ valances », the “cordière”…), which are used when you buy a tailor-made one in store, as opposed to if you already order it ready-made.
She herself had curtains made on the Plaza for her daughter, choosing with the specialist the method of hanging, the fabrics, etc. “I love them more because we spent time together. And I’ll probably keep them for longer. This experience gives meaning to what we have, to what we decide to keep close to us. »
Rare form
The shop also draws its origins from her close collaboration with the director Philippe Cyr – the artistic director of the Prospero theater –, for whom she has created eight sets since 2016. “We both wanted more visual, more sensory stage forms”, explains Odile Gamache.
The scenographer wanted to bring back here this type of show without text that she was able to enjoy several times in Europe. “I don’t see many of them in Montreal. I like that and I feel, as a spectator, that I have space for dialogue in this kind of proposition. More, sometimes, than in textual forms — even if I also like the classic form. But I found that it was missing here. »
She believes that there is a place for designers, decor, lighting or sound, who are keen to focus a show more on these scenic elements. “I find that the stage cage is often under-exploited. It is the modes of production that create this [d’habitude] here. There is an order of the artistic process that we know: a text is [offert] to the director of a theater, a director carries it…” And once at the stage where it could “exploit more changes of scenery or light paintings, the creative team is often in a hurry”.
Remember that there is at least one other example here of a designer who took the leap to put on shows himself: lighting designer Cédric Delorme-Bouchard. A very successful transition, we might add.
Dance
Odile Gamache defines The shop like the swan song of a store due to close. As if they were composing their ultimate clientele, the public will witness a choreography of materials, textures and luminous ambiances unfolding around their window.
The designer imagines a mystery trader, who spends this last night in his premises with his unsold merchandise. “He opens a bottle of wine and does a dance with each item he liked. And ultimately, it is perhaps the store that dances for its merchant. It is also a sort of declaration of love from the merchant towards his store. And from the store for its owner — or for its last buyer. » A story which remains ambiguous, given the scenographic nature of the show.
Gamache herself acts as a manipulator, carrying out the stage changes. “It’s as if the trader was incarnated in me at certain times. »
Being on stage is not her favorite part of the project, admits the designer. But over time, she realized that having a set designer rather than a performer on stage served the work well. “I feel a bit like a servant of objects [rires]. I have a small presence that is minor compared to them. I didn’t want the shopkeeper to be played by an actor who attracts attention, because the star is the material. »
Supported by omnipresent original music by Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux and by a lighting treatment designed by Julie Basse, these paintings will oscillate between the “romantic evening” and the requiem of goods. Thanks to several creative residencies, where the team was able to manipulate the material, they found “the most touching dance” for each one.
Despite an initial stage at OFFTA 2022, Odile Gamache had not yet seen the entire sequence of the show when we met. But she has complete faith in this project that she has been working on for a long time. And even if it is technically complicated to handle (“There are a lot of things to think about on stage”), it relies on “very artisanal” theatrical mechanics. “There is something very warm in the presence of this store, which moves for us. It’s super tactile, very sensory, ultimately, as an experience. I think there is a humorous aspect too. »
Unusual proposition here, The shop remains an “all-public” show, which is not airtight. You just have to agree to “surrender to the music and the images”, which evoke memories and dreams.
“I dare to hope that people will be touched by the objects, which die and dance in front of them,” concludes Odile Gamache. And that perhaps it will awaken their desire to honor the stores around them…”