Radicale1924 – la publication
Nous avons le plaisir d’annoncer la parution de Radicale1924, une publication qui retrace et célèbre un projet de résidence artistique autogéré, mené pendant quatre années à Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, dans la vallée du Lot.
Conçu en 2021 par la chorégraphe belge Chantal Yzermans et la cinéaste française Sylvia Zade Routier dans la Maison Routier, le programme a réuni 36 artistes et écrivains contemporains à travers des séjours, des événements publics et des expositions. L’atmosphère singulière de ce village emblématique a nourri une réflexion sur le patrimoine, la mémoire et les épistémologies rurales, offrant un terrain fertile pour l’expérimentation artistique.
Un final marquant à la Maison André Breton, ancienne résidence d’été de l’écrivain surréaliste, a commémoré le centenaire du Manifeste du surréalisme (1924). Porté par un essai introductif de l’historien de l’art John C. Welchman,
le livre rassemble les contributions originales des participants :
A.L Steiner, AgenceFuture, Georges Adéagbo, Carlos Aires, Jolijn Baeckelandt, Nienke Baeckelandt, Rachel C.Berks, Guillaume Bijl, Pierre Bismuth, Nicolas Bourthoumieux, Véronique Bourgoin, Elias Cafmeyer, Corentin Canesson, Vinicius Couto, Shulea Cheang, John C.Welchman, Thomas Delamarre, Jack Davey, Luc Deleu, Hans Demeulenaere, Regan Elena, Cédric Fargues, Denis Van Mol, Clément Gaesler, Michel François, Mark Geurden, Hantraxdolls, Michael Hart, Clodagh Kinsella, Stéphanie Lagarde, Madmoizel, Siham Mehaimzi, Samyra Moumouh, Ria Pacquée, AngelPaz, Mikes Poppe, Thomas Rodriguez , Archivefurkablickfurkart, Idris Sevenans, Simona Mihaela Stoia, Juli Susin Leendert Vanaccoleyen, Pieter Vanderschaaf, Pierre Martin Vielcazat, ZenaVan den Block, Wim Wauman, Stefan Wouters, Yi Zhang
Édition :
MER. Books / Luc Derycke Les Presses du Réel
ANDRÉ BRETON et ses amis
à Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
Assembled from
found archival footage
(Circa. 1951 - 1963)
A film by
GUILLAUME BIJL
Guillaume Bijl’s film project, André Breton et ses amis à Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (2025), follows the Surrealist poet André Breton and several friends during relaxed summer moments in the French village of
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie.
In 1950, Breton bought a house in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, a medieval village in the Lot Valley in southwestern France. The house, then in ruins, was recently restored; it is now known as the Maison André Breton and
hosts the International Center for Surrealism and Global Citizenship.
Through short, staged tableaux vivants, the film reconstructs a series of moments shared with the artist friends whom Breton invited to the village between 1951 and 1963. Figures such as Max Ernst, Man Ray, Dorothea Tanning, Meret Oppenheim, Benjamin Péret, and Toyen enjoy a nighttime walk, dine in the garden, and pose for a group portrait. The seemingly lyrical lightness of these scenes contrasts strongly with the two world wars that these artists had just lived through.
The film adopts an artistic logic similar to that of a previous project by Bijl, James Ensor in Ostend, ca. 1920 (2000), in which the famous Belgian artist James Ensor is seen spending a carefree day at the beach with some friends. While Ensor was played by a look-alike in that film, Bijl chose, for André Breton et ses amis à Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, to assign the roles to contemporary artists selected for their strong resemblance to the original Surrealists, thus bringing these major historical figures back to life.All of the film’s scenes draw on period photographs, archival footage, and testimonies ranging from the memories of villagers who, as children, saw Breton walk through the streets, to writings by the poet himself.
In keeping with Bijl’s artistic practice, the film deliberately blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, historical document and staged reconstruction, lightness and critical reflection.
The film is a coproduction with Radicale1924, the artist residency project for contemporary artists in Saint- Cirq-Lapopie, founded in 2021 by Chantal Yzermans and with which Guillaume Bijl was closely involved from its beginnings as an artist-in-residence. Filming took place two weeks after the death of Guillaume Bijl (1946–2025).
The film will premiere in the Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerpen on January 29th, 2026.
Duration : 18’55’’
Directed by GUILLAUME BIJL
Edited and Director of Photography WIM CATRYSSE
CAST
André Breton PATRICK VAN CAECKENBERGH
Benjamin Péret GERT VERHOEVEN
Max Ernst HENK VISCH
Dorothea Tanning JÓHANNA K. SIGURDARDÓTTIR
Man Ray HANS THIELMAN
Juliet Man Ray FRANCINE MOYÉ
Méret Oppenheim CHANTAL YZERMANS
Élisa Breton MARIA DEGRÈVE
Gloria de Herrera SIETSKE VAN AERDE
Toyen RIA PACQUÉE
Anne Vernier IRENE VEENSTRA
Jean Schuster ELIAS CAFMEYER
Marie Wilson NADIA BIJL
Maryse Sandoz JOLKE VAN AERDE
CREW
Producers GUILLAUME BIJL, NADIA BIJL, ULRIKE LINDMAYR
Co-producer CHANTAL YZERMANS (Radicale1924)
Director and Casting GUILLAUME BIJL
On-Set Director WIM CATRYSSE
Costumes, Make-up and Hair SIETSKE VAN AERDE, NADIA BIJL, JOLKE VAN AERDE
Wig Designer MICKI CHOMICKI
Production Assistant ELIAS CAFMEYER
Sound Recordist PHILIPPE VAN DAMME
Sound Design and Colour Grading WIM CATRYSSESculpture. Replica after Max Ernst, « An Anxious Friend », 1944 ELIAS CAFMEYER
Set Chronologist TAMARA BEHEYDT
Catering MARION MOL
Distribution ESCAUTVILLE
Filmed on location in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France
Former residence of André Breton
The film was made as part of the Radicale1924 residency and exhibition program, founded by Chantal
Yzermans in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, to mark the centenary of the “Manifesto of Surrealism” (1924).
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Clément Gaësler, Curator at Maisons Élisa et André Breton, and Émile Joseph-Rignault, Centre International du Surréalisme et de la Citoyenneté Mondiale.
The Town Hall of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France
Madams Jacqueline and Justine Schaeffer
With the support of the Flemish Government.
GUILLAUME BIJL (1946 – 2025)
This film was conceived, developed, and launched by Guillaume Bijl, and brought to completion by the crew and actors following his vision, two weeks after his much-regretted and untimely death. Beyond his passing, he continued to be the guiding force of the project. Everyone who contributed to this film dedicates it to the cherished memory and lasting inspiration of Guillaume Bijl.
CONTACT
Chantal Yzermans
Chantal@radicale1924.org
Ulli Lindmayr
ulrike.lindmayr@telenet.be25