L’Odyssée, a continuous performance in urban space

For more than ten years, L’Odyssée has taken root in the streets of cities around the world, unfolding over long periods, day and night. With a decade of experience and more than 8,760 hours of performative presence across three continents, the project has established its unique character: creating a space of hospitality directly within the city, without mediation, where everyone can find a place.

The artists carry with them their “open-air home”—beds, tables, chairs, a coffee machine—moving these elements along a defined route. They sleep outside, live outside, and invite passersby to slow down, to shift their gaze from the urban rhythm and share a suspended moment. Out of this emerge conversations, encounters, and a collective memory woven into public space.

A new chapter

After its first decade, L’Odyssée is entering a new phase of rewriting. Its creator, Laurent Boijeot, now works alongside Valia Kardi, who explores the place of women in public space and, through exchanges with passersby, opens new perspectives on this essential question. Clément Martin, photographer, documents and also performs within the team, creating a living trace of the work. The scenography, developed with Emmanuelle Prommier and Maud Dejaune, places gender parity at the heart of the project.

A living and inclusive work

Carried by the French association La Princesse, L’Odyssée defines itself as a collective, international, and participatory work. It seeks to bring together local residents and partner structures in a dynamic that is horizontal, open, and environmentally responsible.

At once intimate and unifying, L’Odyssée builds bridges with those who feel distant from culture, affirming its role as a living, inclusive project deeply anchored in public space.

Partners:

• Toplocentrala – Sofia, Bulgaria
• ACT Independent Theatre Festival – Sofia, Bulgaria
• Cirkuskolektiv – Split, Croatia
• Oglede – Velika Gorica, Croatia

Production: La Princesse