On May 26th, 2024, the northern streets of Paris witnessed the second chapter in the CONGREGATIONS series, titled ‘Marcher les murs’ or ‘Walking the Walls’. It consisted of a journey along a curated 4km trail that passed through various touchpoints of the Parisian landscape. Throughout this exploration there were five performances from artists individual pieces that took inspirations from the themes of the event – read more on them here.
The day hoped to spark a conversation on the homogenization taking place within districts of Paris that continues to result in the suppression of contemporary art that critiques authoritarian structures behind this privatization. Performative artistic gestures were used throughout the event to disrupt the spaces they happened within temporarily and then inspire collective action moving forward.
Beginning in Square Marmottan, a little green haven amongst the electric scenery of the surrounding area was the first performance from Puer Deorum. They spent time crafting plaques from clay that slowly formed a path that traced the memory of love through a touching piece of prose engraved onto them. This process was thoughtful and allowed time for people to read and take in the messaging as it was being written – a unique way to take in text.
Many were gathered here to watch not only Deorum but also the start of the afternoon. Vegan food was passed round along with zines filled with illustrations and a text by Dita Hashi later to be read aloud. This brought with it a sense of community, the joining of the attendees that would soon begin a touching journey together. This was facilitated by Gribaudiplytas who designed and built a bespoke trolley-like structure that was the core part of the day. It held everything that was needed and used to bring the crowd together, acting as a hub, a beacon for the procession.
Once we set off towards La Chapelle Éric Androa Mindre Kolo began a moving piece of performance art. His body contorted along the streets of Paris as he held firm the flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo whilst using a megaphone to release an unnerving siren to those listening. He used tape to cut off walkways, unafraid to interact with those around him as if to will passivity to stop; using his body as a vessel for the great pain and conflict he needed to portray. Due to the nature of the unignorable act, CONGREGATIONS began to draw in people passing in the street who joined our entourage, mesmerized by what was taking place.
As the group continued on, posters were pulled from the trolley, their designs driving home the themes being explored. In an act of rebellion against negative political agendas, they were pasted onto walls to mark the moment and spark intrigue from people who followed in our footsteps, aptly letting the walk continue even in our absence.
We were next led to an alcove just off the main street, wedged between two venues when Lucie Camous began their reading and performance of ‘Filer Droit’ or ‘Fly Straight’. This took advantage of awkward and disruptive movement alongside a fluctuating tone of voice to contrast with the words spoken that created a disjointed experience only deepening the words spoken. Despite an attempt to move the group along during, the performance persisted, underscoring the resistance to conformity.
Finally, we had a three-part reading from Marie-Julie Chalu, that prompted listeners to think about what our futures could look like. She herself spoke of her fixation on a place for black women to be safe and heard, theirs being a voice that is so often overlooked in our society and of course must be one we continue to uplift. The sentiment of utopias felt like an appropriate ending to our day, as we shared another meal and discussed hope for what could come to be if we continue to bring what was shared today with us into the future.
The day captured the essence of Parisian resistance to conformity, blending intimate readings with rallying performances. These moments of unity and defiance are central to the CONGREGATIONS series, supported by UNCLE as we continue to champion cultural activism.
