The gesture, a subtle body movement, can be understood as a carrier of identity. In the text Gesture, Ephemera and Queer Feeling José Esteban Muñoz uses the term as a tool to expose social conventions and their demands on how different bodies should be and behave. Muñoz explores his physical memories, where the body reveals itself through an unconscious violation of established codes, and illuminates how queer bodies and non-normative movements are exposed and judged by society.
The film Gesture is a close collaboration between Karlsson Lundgren and the choreographer and dancer Dinis Machado (SE/PT), in which they trace body memories, private experiences, senses and sensations. Short sentences were developed into a score inspired by Muñoz’s text, which was interpreted and embodied in a series of movement phrases:
“Walk straight. To feel the carpet texture on my face and arm. To come. Open your mouth with desire and discomfort. To be put against the wall and like it. Female leg crossing standing. Be on points. To point. Fight like a queen. To be pointed at,” to name a few.
Gesture is an independent part of the film Gesture/Labour/Leisure produced in collaboration with Haninge Konsthall.
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