More than 5000 people gathered Monday evening in this village of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on the occasion of a video mapping projected on the Penitents. A “Lumière des Mées” show that obviously did not meet expectations.
“A disaster”, “very big disappointment”, “a waste of time”… Since Monday evening, negative comments have been pouring in on social networks. In the small village of Les Mées (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), the video mapping presented by the contemporary artist Hicham Berrada was to punctuate the summer season.
It was eagerly awaited by locals and tourists who came in droves. This was a first. A “sound and light” show was to be projected on the Penitents, a remarkable geological site over three million years old.
45 minutes of a show for which some did not hesitate to cover several kilometres. Geneviève, for example, came from Peypin, near Aubagne, in the Bouches-du-Rhône. “We talked about it so much that I said to myself: I absolutely have to be there. You absolutely have to see this event”, explains the latter.
A show deemed “too slow” and “without rhythm”
An enthusiasm shared by the 5,000 visitors present on site. But the latter were disillusioned after only a few minutes. Judged “too slow”, “without rhythm” with “frozen images”, the show clearly did not conquer.
“We, like everyone else, discovered the entirety of this unpublished work live. We missed it and it’s a shame. This does not detract from the immense talent of Hicham Berrada. The public waiting , without a doubt, of the color, the rhythm and the sound felt frustrated”, explains Frédéric Puech, the mayor of Les Mées.
The city councilor nevertheless insisted on underlining the considerable success of the craftsmen’s market, musical entertainment and even catering.
A second edition is not excluded today. “When you fall when you learn to walk, you get up, you start over, you learn from your mistakes,” says Frédéric Puech.
And to add: “I would like to reorganize this event. If so, it will necessarily be rhythmic and bright. There will be the long-awaited fireworks that we saw at the end”. The decision could be taken as early as October.
