une assemblée des gestes exposes the process of making

Wilson Le Personnic

The basic unit of creative movement – the physical gesture – fabricates the very world we live in. As part of the multimedia exhibition une assemblée des gestes (épisode 1), choreographer Christian Rizzo and curator Anne-Laure Lestage examine gestures of all kinds – from everyday life, craftsmanship, and artistic practices – by exploring the contexts in which they appear and the relationships that arise from them. CN D Magazine interviews them both about the project’s origins ahead of the April 3rd opening at the Magasins Généraux art space in Pantin, just outside of Paris.

Could you explain how you met and what led you to create une assemblée des gestes?

Christian Rizzo: I discovered Anne-Laure’s curatorial work before we met. Through her choices, arrangements, and the way she creates dialogue between different pieces, I sensed she had a thoughtful approach to connections and composition. During our first conversations, we quickly shifted from talking about objects to what precedes them: handiwork, materials, the “making” process, that is, the working process. We found ourselves sharing a common interest in simple, sometimes utilitarian forms – in modest gestures, situated at the crossroads of art, craftsmanship, and everyday actions. The object then became a pretext, allowing us to shift our gaze to what underpins it.

Anne-Laure Lestage: I recognized in Christian a way of working through composition by association – whether with bodies, materials, or the artworks of others. This echoed my own curatorial concerns. Focusing on a joint project seemed to us to be the most appropriate way to come together: turning “the act of making” into a space for dialogue and allowing our collaboration to develop through action, rather than only talking.

How did you combine your respective practices to find common ground?

C. R.: We began by pooling our references: artists, works, creative practices that we liked or that challenged us. These meandering, open exchanges eventually led us to the idea of gestures emerging as a point of convergence. My experience as a choreographer led me to approach this topic through questions of rhythm, temporality, and dramaturgy.

A-L. L.: As far as I’m concerned, our discussions raised questions about display. How can gestures and processes be made visible in an exhibition space? How should they be arranged? How should visitors move between the pieces? What relationships are forged within the space? My curatorial work has focused on how an exhibition can convey the rhythms and timescales of production, and how gestures can become a tool for thinking about space, attention, and the visitors’ experience

What were your first conversations like?

A-L. L.: They quickly focused on gestures and the questions they raise: how can practices and gestures, that do not usually come together, be made to coexist in the same space? We researched widely, looking at gestures across different aesthetic disciplines, geographic contexts, and creative practices. We also wondered about the meaning of showing a gesture: should we present the result, the trace, or, on the contrary, give access to its appearance, to the time it takes to make it? This reflection led us to design the exhibition as an “activation space,” in an attempt to go beyond merely representing or observing gestures.

C. R.: Another thing we thought about was the decompartmentalization of forms of display. We asked ourselves how we could invent devices that were neither strictly performative nor purely expository, but which opened up new ways for the public to engage with the exhibition. This involved rethinking temporality, dramaturgy, circulation, and the role of the visitor. 

Which of your ongoing reflections underpinned the organization of the exhibition?

A-L. L.: It was born out of an intuition: to let gestures be the very origin of the works and their appearance in space. It was not a question of moving gestures elsewhere to legitimize them, nor of extracting practices from their context and environment to neutralize or quote them, but rather of questioning the conditions under which gestures appear, transform, and are viewed. This reflection led us to shift the usual logic of exhibitions, by giving access, at least in part, to the moment when the gesture takes place, rather than just its result.

C. R.: This approach led to the conception of an exhibition that unfolds over time. The actions are performed on site, before the opening, and then left as they are. These are not performances in the traditional sense, but rather work situations made visible. Once this time has passed, what remains – the objects, installations, and traces – constitutes the exhibition itself.

How did you pick the artists you invited for this first installment?

C. R.: We have brought together very different practices, including visual arts, performance, music, and craftsmanship. In each case, form arises from a concrete engagement with materials, tools, and uses; poetry does not precede action, but rather follows from it. What all the projects have in common is that they view gesture as a vehicle for relationship. 

A-L. L.: In Les Mondailles, for example, artists Camille Sevez and Déborah Bron were inspired by a rural ritual which consists in collectively cracking walnuts. These gestures, often considered ordinary or functional, appear in the exhibition without being transformed or dramatized. Each in its own way, the pieces on display remind us that gestures are also a means of connection, transmission, and sociability, and that they can modestly open up a sensitive and political space within the exhibition.

You use the term “activating space” for the exhibition: is it a way of questioning the norms and uses of museums?

A-L. L.: This allows us to move away from a museum-like vision based on conserving or preserving artworks. The exhibition is conceived as an open space, similar to a studio, where work-in-progress is made visible and shared. The pieces emerge in the space, through gestures, actions, or moments of creation, sometimes under the gaze of the public. This approach shifts the typical format of exhibitions by emphasizing the conditions of production rather than the presentation of finished forms.

C. R.: This notion of activation ties in with the idea of thinking about the exhibition in terms of the time spent “doing” rather than focusing on finished objects. Life itself is the very principle of the exhibition.

How has this collaboration induced an evolution in your respective artistic practices?

AL. L.: It has led me to fully integrate the living, unfinished process in my curatorial practice. I’ve become less interested in merely presenting finished forms, but in accompanying the work, accepting a degree of uncertainty, and allowing an exhibition to develop over time. For me, curating has shifted towards a practice based on arrangement, listening, and attention to rhythms, to the uses of the space, and to the conditions under which the works appear. It’s about using my toolkit in a different way. 

C. R.: Thinking about gestures offstage, outside of a dance context, allowed me to detach them from spectacle and think about how they can create relationships and produce material objects. This shift invited me to consider what a gesture activates and how it can exist outside the framework of staged performance. 

Wilson Le Personnic is a freelance writer and art worker. He collaborates with choreographic artists by supporting their creative processes or documenting their work. He also contributes writing to media outlets, cultural institutions and artistic projects, producing critical, editorial, and educational texts.

à l’ombre d’un vaste détail, hors tempête.
Choreography: Christian Rizzo
from February 16 to 18 at Théâtre de la Cité CDN Toulouse Occitanie
on February 25 at TAP - scène nationale de Grand Poitiers
on March 17 and 18 at Bonlieu Scène nationale d’Annecy
on March 31 at Théâtre Quintaou Scène nationale du Sud-Aquitain
on April 2 at Espaces Pluriels
on April 9 at Théâtre de Nîmes

une assemblée des gestes (episode 1)
Curated by Christian Rizzo and Anne-Laure Lestage
from April 3 to May 23 at Magasins Généraux

D’après une histoire vraie
Choreography: Christian Rizzo
on April 23 and 24
at Théâtre National Bordeaux-Aquitaine

Les animaux ne portent pas de chaussures
Curated by Anne-Laure Lestage
from December 11, 2025 to March 14, 2026
at Le Bel Ordinaire - Pau