On a stage, seven bodies attempt to connect. With humour, violence and philosophical questions, they unfold living tableaux – a succession of simple actions revealing dreamlike or lost landscapes. *Comme de choses vraies* is a documentary choreographic tale in which the fairies are men who have lived in tents for periods ranging from one month to 19 years. These performers, who are both witnesses and storytellers, attempt to reveal the home within their bodies.
This play was born out of an encounter with the world and a desire to create a fable. The result of a collaboration with several residents of the Bois de Vincennes that began in 2022, *Comme de choses vraies* continues the artistic exploration by Ikram Benchrif, director and producer, and Paul Girard, dancer and choreographer, centred on the body as a living archive.
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As part of the studio residency programme, supported by the Ministry of Culture / DRAC Pays de la Loire.
Ikram Benchrif and Paul Girard
The partnership between documentary filmmaker Ikram Benchrif and dancer and choreographer Paul Girard was formed six years ago, during Bruno Latour’s experimental ‘Arts Politiques’ programme. Since then, the two artists have drawn on their respective disciplines – documentary film and dance – to transform the sum of their encounters with the local residents of a given place into a work of art. These are co-creations that raise context-specific questions. Conceived as long-term projects, their creative processes enable the production of a work whose form and purpose are no longer solely the concern of the artists.
Ikram Benchrif is a Moroccan documentary filmmaker who lives and works in Paris. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts at Dongguk University (Seoul), she co-produced her first short films with Jong-Ho Park and Line Oshin. As a senior correspondent, she documented the early stages of the Arab Spring, including the war in Libya. After completing Bruno Latour’s Master’s programme in Political Arts in 2019, she has been exploring collective approaches to image-making.
Paul Girard is a dancer and choreographer; he lives and works in Paris. After studying dance at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP), he worked as a professional dancer for several international companies, including the Grand Théâtre de Genève. He began his career as a freelance dancer through the residency programme directed by Bob Wilson (Watermill Centre, 2015). He has continued his career as a dancer, working alongside artists such as Cindy Van Acker, Romeo Castellucci, Pierre Pontvianne and Christian Rizzo. Since completing his experimental Master’s degree in Political Arts under Bruno Latour, his exploration of what constitutes dance has led him to consider movement beyond the established frameworks of his discipline.
