Atys - 2022

Invited by choreographer Angelin Preljocaj to design the scenography for the musical tragedy Atys, composed in 1676 by Jean-Baptiste Lully to a libretto by Jean-Baptiste Quinault for Louis XIV, and inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses, Prune Nourry addresses once again the concepts of ritual, hybridisation, fractal and rhizome, in resonance with the costumes designed by artist Jeanne Vicérial.

This opera-ballet, premiered at the Grand Théâtre de Genève in 2022 and later performed at the Opéra Royal de Versailles, tells how the romance between Atys and the nymph Sangaride is thwarted by the goddess Cybèle, jealous of a union that ultimately leads the couple to a disastrous fate. Cybèle transforms Atys, who has just committed suicide, into a sacred tree, the pine, which will be venerated by all Nature.