VIDEOS. Long Ma in Toulouse: relive the big show at the Halle de la Machine
By Thibaut Calatayud
Published on
It was the event of this Easter weekend at Toulouse. Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April 2022, the Hall of the Machine organized a big show featuring his new fantastic creature: the dragon mare My long.
Long Ma and Asterion put on a show
In springtime weather, young and old turned out in large numbers to admire the huge creations of the Machine. Because apart from Long Ma, the spider and the famous minotaur Asterion were out.
A reworking of a Chinese myth
This show is taken from a Chinese myth: “In the millennial myth, the Gods of Heaven and Earth argue, and a gaping hole is created in the sky. It endangers the planet and people. The goddess Nuwa, with the body of a snake and whose mission is to protect men, ends up saving humanity, ”detailed François Delarozière, the artistic director of the Halle de la Machine, at the time of the presentation of the show.
“From this myth came the idea for this show, saying today that the hole in the sky has reopened a little bit due to human activity. And Nuwa, who observes men from the 7th floor from the sky, sends his emissary, Long Ma, to close this gaping hole which endangers men. Except that this hole allows creatures from other worlds to pass. And a giant evil spider takes the opportunity to engulf itself and come to Earth to prevent Long Ma from carrying out his task…”
A 44 ton creature
For the construction of Long Ma, 45 people were needed. “We built it in eight months, whereas it usually takes between 18 and 24 months for such a machine. We worked day and night! An Antonov 124 was specially chartered for the transporter from Nantes, where it was built, to Beijing,” explained François Delarozière at the time.
11 meters high, Long Ma is also 17.7 meters long and 5.5 meters wide. Its structure, made of steel, wood, blown glass, gold leaf, canvas and horsehair, weighs 44 tons.
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