Theatrale voorstelling van een gebeurtenis uit het boek Mésaventures de Jean-Paul Choppart van Louis Desnoyers c. 1850 - 1880

This photographic print captures a theatrical performance inspired by Louis Desnoyers' "Mésaventures de Jean-Paul Choppart." Here, the central figure, dressed in a striped costume, embodies the role of a 'cannibale,' a term laden with historical and cultural baggage. Consider the loaded symbol of the cannibal. This motif stretches back to antiquity, from tales of Cyclops in Homer's Odyssey to colonial-era depictions of indigenous peoples. Each era projects its fears and prejudices onto this figure, associating it with savagery, the unknown, and the transgression of cultural norms. The use of the ‘cannibal’ as a character taps into collective anxieties surrounding cultural difference and challenges to established social orders. It is this subconscious fascination and repulsion, intertwined with historical contexts, that give this image its lasting emotional power. The image is not merely a snapshot of a play; it is a window into the non-linear, cyclical progression of symbols, revealing how they resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings across time.