Renowned comic artist Zep, creator of “Titeuf”, has embarked on a new artistic journey. His latest project, “L’Odyssée de Doublecroche”, blends drawing and music in a symphonic performance. Accompanied by violinist Renaud Capuçon and pianist Guillaume Bellom, Zep premiered the piece at the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad in Saanen Church.
Zep, whose real name is Philippe Chappuis, drew bold black musical notes as Capuçon, the festival’s artistic, played his violin, while Bellom accompanied on the piano. The packed church fell silent, spellbound by the performance. Schoolchildren sat up front, while older attendees filled the pews behind.
Before long, it was clear: Titeuf, the spiky-haired, egg-headed stick figure, was the unexpected protagonist of “L’Odyssée de Doublecroche” (The Odyssey of the Sixteenth Note). As Zep’s drawings were projected onto a large screen, they slowly came to life in harmony with the music.

Titeuf and emotion in motion
With a few deft strokes, Zep transformed a treble clef into a snake, its tongue flicking out to meet Titeuf’s curious fingertip. Another sketch showed a piano keyboard, with Titeuf dancing joyfully across the keys. Later, he stood alone in the rain, then clung to an umbrella, floating gently toward a rainbow – conveying trust, wonder, and security.

A living symbiosis
Zep’s seemingly simple drawings convey layered and deep emotions: love, joy, hope, but also fear and solitude.

Capuçon’s violin and Bellom’s piano underscored every scene with musical sensitivity, turning each drawing into a visual symphony. Each image told a story, leaving the audience wanting more.
Throughout the performance, Zep demonstrated various artistic techniques, producing thirteen drawings in total. The magical experience lasted just under an hour before he scrawled fin across the screen. The performance ended with prolonged applause. Despite the audience’s hope for an encore, the artists remained true to the saying: one should always leave at the peak of a performance. And with their seamless blend of music, emotion, and comic art, they did just that.

BASED ON AVS | KEREM MAURER

ZEP AND TITEUF

In 1991, Geneva-born Philippe Chappuis (b. 1967) introduced the world to Titeuf. His name may derive from “petit œuf“ (little egg), a nod to his distinctive head shape. However, some sources claim it has no specific meaning. According to Swiss newspaper the Tages-Anzeiger, Chappuis initially avoided drawing hair, which led to Titeuf’s signature blond tuft.

Titeuf, a ten-year-old boy navigating childhood and first encounters with love, has earned Zep numerous accolades, including the 1996 Alph’Art Jeunesse award and the 2003 Alph’Art du Public at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. To date, eighteen volumes of Titeuf have been published in German, numbered from zero to seventeen.