Earthbound
or The Camille Stories

Marta Cuscunà

EARTHBOUND or the The Camille Stories, is a work of science fiction that explores a near future in which the manipulation of the human genome brings life back to areas of the planet that have been damaged by mankind.
Being on the verge of extinction is no longer a metaphor.
The philosopher Donna Haraway wrote Staying with the trouble to break with the destructive “Game Over” mentality that could overcome us. This is a speculative essay about eco-feminism that contains science fiction stories: examples of possible futures where humanity joins forces with other species to save our planet, take care of it again and treat it better this time.

Inspired by these ideas, the play follows a small colony of individuals who have migrated to areas damaged by human exploitation in order to restore them in collaboration with non-human partners. They are the Earthbound: humans who have been implanted with the genes of endangered creatures. This has a dual purpose: conserving the species and promoting a new perspective for helping mankind adapt to the natural environment through the symbiosis with their animal part.
The Earthbound know that no species acts alone, not even humanity, and that it is not possible to separate organism from environment. In order to tackle the consumption of natural resources that are now almost entirely exhausted, they are aiming at the drastic reduction of the human presence on Earth.
"Make kin, not babies" is the first commandment of a birth control policy based on partially replacing blood ties with bonds of care.
For the Earthbound, the birth of a child is a collective, rare and precious choice, and something the whole community is responsible for. As such, at least three parents are assigned to each child.
On stage, the Earthbound are brought to life through the animatronic creatures designed by Paola Villani and inspired by the works of the Australian artist Patricia Piccinini. The performance is a science fiction monologue for actress and puppets that transforms contemporary eco-feminist thinking into a play, hybridizing the tradition of object theatre with techniques of innovative animation.
And if, as Donna Haraway says, "it matters what stories make worlds, what worlds make stories", Earthbound is one of the possible tales of the new world where we may find ourselves living tomorrow.

Running time: 70 minutes