A world-renowned French cultural institution celebrated for its breathtaking outdoor spectacles that blend giant inflatable puppetry, poetic storytelling, and dreamlike processions. From large-scale public parades to custom-made aerial sculptures, Plasticiens Volants transforms the sky into a living stage.
Plasticiens Volants is born of a deep desire to speak to everyone through a universal language—that of images and dreams. It is a deliberate choice to inhabit public space, telling aerial fables visible to all. We imagine inflatable aerial sculptures and craft large-scale dramaturgy and staging to create shared moments of wonder and collective emotion. It is a pause for the imagination, where our creatures are both caressed by and caress young and old alike. The performance is everywhere: in the center, above you, around the corner, in the gaze of the person next to you. These shared emotions are the lifeblood of our festive moments. Let us dress the sky with our dreams—so they may become mutual.
Unicycle Productions, as a U.S. representative of Plasticiens Volants, currently offers 10 productions available for touring in the U.S. between 2025 and 2027. We facilitate outdoor performance tours, artistic commissions, community collaborations, and custom inflatable creations for presenters and festivals across North America.
In addition to coordinating tour bookings and routing, Unicycle Productions also offers optional full-service support for presenters seeking deeper engagement. This can include on-the-ground production planning, local partnership development, and integration into community festivals or civic programming. These services are designed to help presenters maximize the artistic and community impact of each presentation while ensuring a seamless experience from concept to curtain.
We are proud and grateful to announce that Turtle Island, a new collaborative creation by Plasticiens Volants and G. Peter Jemison (Seneca, Heron Clan), has received support from Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education in the United States, and the Albertine Foundation.
"Theater & New Forms is the theater program of Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education in the United States, and the Albertine Foundation is proud to support Les Plasticiens Volants and the artistic collaboration with G. Peter Jemison and The Sky Woman Iroquois Dance Theater for the creation and world premiere of the aerial sculpture street performance Turtle Island. This significant collaboration promises to further enrich artistic exchange between France and the U.S.” selection committee, April 28, 2025.
“While other humans in the world focused on great monuments of stone, the Haudenosaunee began with our human nature; the struggle to balance our emotions, those destructive versus peaceful. Can we today learn to love the world we have before mankind destroys every living thing? These twin and opposite emotions live within us. Our elders ask us to honor our teachings. Learn to find balance in our behavior toward one another.” G. Peter Jemison
“This magnificent project, about the founding myth of the Haudenosaunee, dwells in me, in us and makes us dream. It is the symbol of a better humanity, of a tolerant and generous humanity. A humanity that takes the time to weigh the right and wrong in its decisions with the intention of caring and respecting its children and its mother planet. What many of us wish with all our heart.” Marc Etieve, Artistic Director of Plasticiens Volants
Choreography by William Crowse (Seneca Nation, Hawk Clan)
Performances by Skywoman Iroqouis Dance Theater
Produced by Sonia Kozlova Clark, Unicycle Productions LLC and Plasticiens Volants
The project is funded by: Villa Albertine, Institute Français, Tarn Department
Project partners: The Friends of Ganondagan, Victor New York, Hudson River Park, New York City, Turnpark Art Space, Prospect Park (Brooklyn, NY).
Contact:
September 3, 11:30am
Western Arts Alliance (WAA), Los Angeles, CA
We will be presenting a co-commissioning opportunity pitch for my co-production project with Plasticiens Volants, Turtle Island:
Turtle Island is a new outdoor spectacle created by Plasticiens Volants under the artistic guidance of Haudenosaunee artist, historian, and educator G. Peter Jemison (Seneca, Heron Clan), with choreography and performance contributions by Skywoman Iroquois Dance Theater. Co-produced by Unicycle Productions LLC and Plasticiens Volants, this intimate, family-friendly production brings to life the foundational Haudenosaunee Creation Story through a vibrant fusion of aerial puppetry, dance, and community engagement.
Developed with Indigenous artistic leadership at its core, Turtle Island honors ancestral narratives while addressing contemporary themes of balance, environmental stewardship, and collective responsibility. It invites audiences to witness the birth of the world atop the turtle’s back—a story that resonates across cultures as a symbol of resilience and interconnectedness.
G. Peter Jemison, Heron Clan from the Cattaraugus Territory, Seneca Nation, is a multimedia artist and recently retired site manager of Ganondagan, a New York State Historic Site in Victor, New York. Mr. Jemison is very active politically as an advocate for Native American rights. He was chairman of the Haudenosaunee Standing Committee on Burial Rules and Regulations on burial rules and regulations, fighting for the return of sacred objects to native peoples mandated by the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Mr. Jemison was one of the founders of the Museum of the American Indian in New York City. His book, the Treaty of Canandaigua 1794 has been favorably received as an important contribution to history.
Plasticiens Volants: Les Plasticiens Volants, established in 1978, is a street theater company that practices a unique technique of creating and operating giant hand-made inflatable puppetry. Their productions merge street theatre, visual arts, digital projections, sound effects, and nature to create an awe-inspiring story.
William Crouse Sr. is a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians of the Hawk clan. He is a faithkeeper, singer, and speaker of the Coldspring Longhouse. As group leader, singer, lecturer and dancer of the Allegany River Indian Dancers, Bill has traveled all over the US and Canada. He has performed in Rome, Italy and Würzburg, Germany. Bill is the founder of the Skywoman Iroquois Dance Theater.
Designed for outdoor public spaces—parks, waterfronts, urban plazas—the performance is scalable and ideal for festivals, community days, and family-oriented events. The show can be paired with storytelling, performances, or workshops led by local Indigenous artists, offering a platform for meaningful cultural exchange and local engagement.
With initial dates already confirmed, Turtle Island is now available for additional U.S. engagements in Fall 2025. All international travel is covered, and the production is well-suited for parks, plazas, and public events that welcome families and multigenerational audiences. The performance can anchor a day of community celebration and Indigenous-led programming.
Partial funding for the project is provided by Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education in the United States, the Albertine Foundation, Département du Tarn, Région Occitanie, and Institut Français.
Contact:
Sonia Kozlova Clark, Producer
Turtle Island marks Part I of a larger visionary work titled Sky Woman. We are currently seeking co-commissioning and touring partners to help bring the full story to life in future seasons.
For bookings, materials, or to explore hosting a community collaboration:
Contact Producer: Sonia Kozlova Clark | unicycleproductions@gmail.com
L’Étranger – Voyage en Absurdie is a striking, family-friendly outdoor production by France’s renowned Plasticiens Volants, created for large audiences in public spaces—parks, town squares, and waterfronts. Presented entirely outdoors with monumental inflatable figures animated by visible actor-puppeteers, the show is a powerful anchor for civic events, cultural programming, and place-based celebration.
Loosely inspired by Gulliver’s Travels, this poetic fable explores themes of otherness, fear, and manipulation—delivered with humor, visual poetry, and live narration. The performance unfolds in a fixed public setting and invites audiences into a shared, emotionally resonant experience through scale, proximity, and immersive theatrical design.
A large-scale outdoor spectacle for all ages
More than a performance, L’Étranger creates a natural gathering space—a vibrant platform around which a town, city, or neighborhood can build a day-long celebration. Its visual impact and accessibility make it an ideal centerpiece for street arts festivals, cultural fairs, or public markets. Presenters are encouraged to activate the space around the show with local food vendors, artisans, community organizations, musicians, or family activities. Whether launching a brand-new community festival or enhancing an existing event, this production serves as a dynamic catalyst for connection and local pride.
This production features a newly engineered, lighter inflatable system requiring only 100m³ of helium—a significant reduction from previous Plasticiens Volants shows. This advancement supports easier touring and greater sustainability while maintaining the company’s signature visual grandeur.
On an imaginary beach, a white Dove discovers a stranded giant. At first welcomed, the giant becomes a target of suspicion as the authoritarian Queen of the Lilliputians—heard throughout via live narration—twists the narrative to maintain control. As paranoia spreads and the Dove is captured, the immense Gulliver rises, breaks free, and topples the symbols of fear to rescue his ally and stop the destruction of the palace. In a final moment of release, he departs, leaving behind a haunting question: what if the stranger… is us?
The show runs without intermission and is ideal for large, open spaces with audiences who gather freely—no fixed seating required. Its design welcomes families and multigenerational crowds in a fluid, open environment.
Unicycle Productions provides full support with touring logistics, technical planning, and community integration to ensure each presentation meets both artistic and civic goals.
Contact:
Sonia Kozlova Clark, US Representative and Tour Producer
For all audiences.
Audience capacity 5.000 people
Performed during the day or at night
Duration: 1 hour
French and English versions (other languages possible)
Cast 19 or 20 (night) persons.
Audience capacity: 5,000 people
Can be performed during the day (without additional lighting) or at night (with lighting technical specifications)
Duration: 1 hour (+ 2 hours of public set-up before the performance)
Traveling Team: 19 people for daytime performances / 20 people for nighttime performances
Performance area required: 50m x 60m minimum
Helium needed: 100 m3
Available Language Versions: French and English, please contact us for other languages.
Looking for a custom-made inflatable to own? See the options here and contact us for details: https://air-fabric.com/entreprise-air-fabric