This experimental first-person adventure game is inspired by a passage from the novel Yvain ou le Chevalier au lion by Chrétien de Troyes, written in the 12th century. With a broken heart, the knight Yvain flees civilization. He sinks into the forest, leaving his clothes, losing speech and reason. In this contemporary interpretation, we guide the main character, to the rhythm of his lament, through an absurd and offbeat medieval universe, at the crossroads of courtly love and Game of Thrones.
The video game is the result of a double partnership: La Criée centre d'art contemporain has been working with video game creator Tomavatars since 2015 and with artist Éric Giraudet de Boudemange since 2017. The artist began his research on the medieval wild man during a residency at ESPE (Ecole Supérieure du Professorat et de l'Éducation) in Rennes in January 2018 for which he produced the video installation Yvain, mout fus or oublians. Between December 2018 and February 2019, Éric Giraudet de Boudemange and Tomavatars, in residence at the Collège de la Binquenais in Rennes, will be supported by Yvain ! to create a second video game with the students.
Éric Giraudet de Boudemange develops a series of works around the figure of the wild man and his contemporary representations, from linguistic scientific experiments on primates to pop culture (Tarzan).
production : La Criée centre d’art contemporain, Rennes
partnership : Fondation d’entreprise Ricard, Paris