2017 was the pilot year for Les Rochers, our artist residency in Normandy, France. Our first residents created works influenced by their time in small town of Cerisy-la-Forêt.

Jacinta Yelland, an Australian actor and theatre-maker, devised a show comparing the reality of achieving the “American Dream” in America, Scandinavia and France. This show is a platform to explore the social systems of the world’s leading countries and their role in determining the mentality, wellbeing and fate of its citizens. The narrative was derived from her own personal experiences as an immigrant to America, interviews with local citizens from across the world, data from global studies, research from scholars and political scientists, and sound-bites from politicians and commentators. Read Jacinta's blog This American Dream and follow her on Instagram. 

Ethan Metzner, an American musician and recording artist, sampled “found sounds” in Cerisy-la-Forêt to create sonic collages, or in other words, musical compositions. This project draws inspiration from the abstract composition styles of John Cage, the modern-classic beauty of Philip Glass, the ambient randomness of Brian Eno, and the deliberate methodologies of Daniel Lanois. No actual instruments or preexisting samples were used — only recordings and samples of the environment that have been effected, pitch shifted and composed into music. Listen to this project on SoundCloud and follow Ethan on Instagram.