Being other in oneself or oneself in the other? Exploratory residency in the Województwo pomorskie region, Poland

The artist Julien Ridouard is developing a research residency in partnership with Jan Tesio, an actor-artist, as a continuation of their previous collaboration on the short film La Fuite (2022).

This residency takes place in the Województwo pomorskie region in the Słowiński Park Narodowy regional park in Poland. The guideline is to interrogate the areas of expression of the character Kathy, played by Jan Tesio in the short film La Fuite, directed by Julien Ridouard in spring 2022. Using a shoulder camera, Julien dialogues with the actor and his character. Can we learn about a character’s life through dialogue with the actor? Can a character’s story emerge through the actor’s ability to embody it? What does it mean to inhabit a character? What are the limits between the actor self and the other character? How does this dialectic of acting unfold? To be other in oneself or to be oneself in the other? The residency addresses these questions in an environment where memories can be recalled. The chosen region is linked to the actor’s personal history, reinforcing the actor-character dialectic.

This residency will take place over two weeks in August 2022. This research work is spread over several years and will be returned in documentary film form.