Isabella Rossellini

Who invented sex? Why and how?

Isabella Rossellini and Jean-Claude Carrière try to answer those questions observing the natural world from pachyderms to bugs.

How surprising! How bizarre! Males eaten right after reproduction, one’s sperm blown away by another male’s within the female vagina itself, wild orgies, fierce fights, dances, seductions, extravagances, unexplainable acrobatics, deadly enigmas, perversions, pregnant males, new born being eaten alive…It’s as if nature has willingly multiplied the tracks to create confusion. It’s as if life, to allow reproduction, would play a dangerous and chaotic game, the rules of which are settled by we don’t know who and differ depending on the species.

Eggs abandoned drifting away by the river, ready for the sperm of a meeting. Salmons mating in the river where they were born just before dislocation and death. The queen of termites can engender workers as well as warriors, according to the needs of her group… Snails, being hermaphrodites, tease themselves with a stinger before the act. The female of an aquatic worm isolates herself in a 10 holes shell, only one hole being the right one. The male has to spread his sperm into each hole and eventually dies exhausted, his task fulfilled.

Life being passed down whatever the cost, offers an intriguing and scaring show leading to the unavoidable question: what about us? Where are we standing?

The text, written by Jean-Claude Carrière, will be read and performed by Isabella Rossellini.

The conference about the mating in the natural world will be interrupted on several occasions by 2 minutes long short movies directed by Isabella Rossellini in which she plays a fly, a duck, a calmar or a bug. She will comment upon them live.

Pre-selected animals (for the existing shorts): the snail, the worm, the fly, the shrimp, the deadly spider, the praying-mantis, the anchovy, the bi-phallic snake.

Isabella Rossellini on GREEN PORNO:

»I have always loved animals. I am particularly fascinated by the diversity in nature. My family knows it well. Since I was a little girl I brought home all kinds of stray cats and dogs, but also worms, frogs, insects and read a great deal of books about animals and took many biology courses at the University.

Since my work has been first as a fashion model, then as an actress this interest of mine remained not known to the public. But when my carrier evolved further to include writing and directing films, biology became my main source of inspiration.

Encouraged by actor-filmmaker Robert Redford who is tremendously supportive of experimental, independent films and also very interested in Nature, I made short comical films about animals : «Green Porno» is about animal reproduction, «Seduce Me» about different courtship strategies and «Mammas» about differed ways among animals of being mothers.

«This is what we artists do- comment Redford about my films - We tell serious things in the most accessible, entertain way».

The great Jean Claude Carriere, who is writing the theatrical comical version about my interest in nature, said about the wonderment of nature, «How can we ever be bored? Indeed, biology is the greatest show on Earth».

Text by Isabella Rossellini & Jean-Claude Carrière

Artistic guidance Muriel Mayette

Lights design and video Antoine Manichon

English translation Julia Groopman

Production Les Visiteurs du Soir

Worldwide premiere Printemps des Comédiens 2013, Montpellier (France)