She is electric, collects the unclassifiable, the transgressive, the astonishing, the burlesque. Among the artists she carefully recruits for her phenomenal festival, D. Kimm has favorites and long loyalties. Jack-of-all-trades founder of the Phénomena festival, which opens this week, she presents her latest show there, Life should be like a torrent.
“I’m pretty sure it’s my last,” she admits in an interview. I’m excited, I have a great musician [Bernard Falaise]. And I invited two poets that I adore, Natasha Kanapé Fontaine and Emmanuelle Pierrot. » She will stage her own poetry, notably that of The Mongolian suite, collection of poetry which was also the subject of a show in 1999.
“It’s very interesting for me to revisit ancient texts,” she adds. I was very passionate and it was very dramatic! I find it touching. I want to honor the person I was 20 years ago. » Passionate, D. Kimm still is, and she tirelessly praises the artists of the Phénomena festival, whom she supervises like a mother, year after year. Among these, there are, for example, Alexis O’Hara and Stéphane Crête, who this year will host, respectively, the English and French versions of the Dada cabaret This year.
The Phénomena festival, produced by the Filles Électriques, has been inclusive since its beginnings. “I have been working with the deaf community since 2012,” continues D. Kimm. Today, there are more people who present this type of show, but we were the first to do this. […] I managed to build a bond with the deaf community, and get to know artists. I even learned sign language for a year. » This year’s edition also includes a family show for the deaf community.
Before being the artistic director of Phénomena, D. Kimm was that of the International Literature Festival, then that of the Voix d’Amériques festival.
Leaning towards cabaret
“In 2012, I changed because I wanted to do something more vibrant, more extravagant, more queer too, because I had a lot of queer artists. That’s what interested me. And I no longer wanted to be caught in the dictatorship of the text, because Voix d’Amériques was really “performed” poetry, it was the text that counted. And then, I wanted to do cabarets. It’s something that interested me enormously, the dynamics of cabaret,” continues D. Kimm.
This year, his old accomplice Stéphane Crête will once again host his Dada cabaretFrench-speaking version, and will notably receive a heavy metal choir, the Growlers Choir. The event takes place on the theme “ Dada Forever », a nod to the poster representing the festival, which borrows codes from James Bond films.
“And through all that, I make connections with my own color, I will have several different costumes because Dada cabarets are a beautiful place to experiment with multiple identities,” says Stéphane Crête in an interview.
He also mentions the presence of the artist Jacqueline van de Geer. “She’s on the poster with me this year. She is a true pioneer of performance art in Quebec,” he adds.
Open to all
“We do things that are unclassifiable, things that are really on the fringe because that’s what interests me,” continues D. Kimm. These are artists who are atypical, whether they are emerging or established because I present artists of all ages. This is also the particularity of Phénomena, is that we present artists from all generations and we have an audience that is from all generations. »
She is delighted that people aged fifty and over can attend, without feeling too much, a show of waackingthese energetic dance performances inspired by fashion model shows that bring together young people in Montreal.
“Everyone is welcome everywhere and, for me, it is very important to create this space,” she says. I would say that what characterizes my career is that I am an idealistic person. I believe in magic. And I believe we can come together to experience a magical moment. »