A spectacle on six legs.

He lugs, she hauls, from here to there…
They’re showing off the tiniest of treasures.
Up to ten times their weight
And yet they haven’t given in…

Scarabée follows two travellers, inspired by the wanderings of Marco Polo and the mythical silkworm. They journey from place to place with suitcases full of insects and memories, stories from distant lands. When a suitcase opens, a mechanical universe is revealed. Amidst cogs and tiny machines, marvellous mechanical creatures come to life: a dragonfly dancing gently, a lantern beetle weaving light and shadow, a silkworm undergoing its silent metamorphosis, two flying deer facing off against each other like sumo wrestlers. These circus performers are getting ready for the show.

With Scarabée, De Machienerie poetically links the circus to the wondrous world of insects. To achieve this, De Machienerie draws on the traditional flea circus, which enjoyed its heyday in the early 20th century. The insects are (literally and figuratively) in the spotlight. An encounter awaits you at every stop. In every suitcase, a little theatre. Together, they form a collection of miniature stories about travel, change and imagination; whispers from another time, captured in a suitcase. 

Credits

Game: Maarten Janssens, Saar Suffys 
Music: Jeroen De Sadelaer 
Set designers: Jeroen De Sadelaer, Roxane Ronot, Carolien Cuyvers, Maarten Janssens 
Costumes: Joke Van de Casteele 
Director: Louise Buysschaert 
Executive Producer: Greet Vissers 

De Machienerie (BE) Scarabée