Photo — Stéphane Bourgeois
December 2014 – While traveling outside of Canada, Kevin learns that his father has been hospitalized for pneumonia which turns out to be a swift-moving cancer. He rushes to his bedside in Chicago. He spends the following five days keeping vigil, until the moment of the final departure.
In this new work, Kevin McCoy explores father-son relationships. Inspired by the journey of Marco Polo who, in the past, discovered the Silk Road alongside his paternal figure, he draws parallels with his own story, driven by the desire to understand and describe the world in his own way.
Le Devisement du monde is a journey. One that is undertaken within oneself, one that leads us to encounter the other, one that transports us to unfamiliar lands. It speaks of baggage. The kind we fold at the time of departure, the kind we carry within us, and the kind we must leave behind.
This captivating narrative with an enchanting stage arrangement is the third and final installment of the migratory triptych.
Conference Le devisement du monde with Marco Polo and Fra Mauro by Guy Mercier
On February 20th, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, a free conference open to all will take place in the foyer of the Diamant, in connection with the play.
Conference Description:
Kevin McCoy’s play Le devisement du monde evokes the respective works of two Venetians, Marco Polo (1254-1324) and Fra Mauro (1385-1460). The former, after traveling and living in Asia for over two decades, offered the Europe of his time a description of the Orient that still holds a great fascination today. The latter, secluded in his monastery of San Michele, created the most detailed maps of the known world at that time. Both of them, each in their own way, made known the grandeur, diversity, and complexity of the world, and in doing so, contributed to changing the way one conceives oneself, both personally and collectively. With the presentation of Kevin McCoy’s work, the opportunity is ripe to revisit the contributions of these two significant figures from history.
Brief Biographical Note of the Speaker:
Guy Mercier is the Dean of the Faculty of Forestry, Geography, and Geomatics at Laval University. He has been contributing to teaching and research in the history of geography for thirty years.
