Photo : Caroline Ablain
Performance: Debt, for the use of future generations
"Debt, for the use of future generations" is a performance-lecture without PowerPoint where documentary inquiry, intimate narrative, and political thought intersect.
MAIF Social Club (Paris 3rd)
About
What do we owe each other? And what world are we passing on to future generations?
Based on Debt: The First 5,000 Years by anthropologist David Graeber, Vincent Collet sets out to understand how debt has become much more than an economic tool: a collective fiction capable of organizing our human relationships, our desires, our fears, and our sense of powerlessness.
But as the research progresses, the inquiry spills over. It encounters the crisis in the cultural sector, the contradictions of the artistic world, and above all, a personal journey of surrogacy undertaken several years ago. While trying to become a parent, the author wonders what world we are passing on to future generations, and what stories could still be invented to transform it.
On stage, readings, archives, autobiographical narratives, and fragments of fiction compose a free and sensitive journey through the mechanisms of debt, from the first forms of currency to contemporary capitalism. Carried by a vast visual fresco conceived as a time capsule addressed to the future, Debt explores our capacity to step out of the narratives that trap us to imagine other forms of living together.
Our take on this event
Forget dry economic lectures; this performance weaves a profound exploration of human debt into a touching, deeply personal narrative. It's a striking journey that balances individual dreams against global realities, leaving you to ponder what legacy we are truly building for the future.
From June 3, 2025, to June 5, 2027, the MAIF Social Club in the 3rd arrondissement presents the show La Dette, à l’usage des générations futures. Directed by Vincent Collet, this performance examines debt not merely as an economic concept, but as a social force shaping our relationships, fears, and collective desires. Through a visual fresco blending personal narratives with archival material, the show explores how we might break free from rigid structures to envision new futures. Admission is free for all attendees, though please note that the performance is restricted to audiences aged 18 and over.
Hosted at the MAIF Social Club, this performance by Vincent Collet draws inspiration from anthropologist David Graeber's work, 'Debt: The First 5,000 Years'. The show delves into how debt functions as a collective fiction, influencing human interactions and our sense of agency. Along the way, the narrative expands to include the artist’s personal experience with surrogacy, the challenges facing the cultural sector, and deep reflections on the world we pass on to future generations.
The stage production utilizes a mix of readings, autobiographical stories, and fictional fragments to create a compelling visual experience. Designed as a time capsule for the future, the work invites the audience to rethink the mechanisms of contemporary capitalism and explore alternative ways of living together.
The show runs from 03/06/2025 until 05/06/2027. It is completely free to attend; however, due to the nature of the themes explored, this event is strictly for adults aged 18 and up.
