CHOREOGRAPHY*, is an exhibition with a series of accompanying texts and events, organised and compiled by Paul Becker. The exhibition takes as its starting point the work of the French writer/director Marguerite Duras and in particular, two of her films: India Song (1975) and Baxter, Vera Baxter (1977). In both films, as in many of the novels, a central figure, herself inert, acts as the epicentre. In one film, she lies in bed all day, never leaves her house while the rest of the characters constellate around her story. In the other, she moves ‘alone, queen like’ through various ambassadorial parties and stilted, stylised and detached entanglements with a series of beautiful young men. Both films trace the choreography of these central lacunae who delineate and encrypt desire but are themselves disconnected from any emotional life. These ‘lovers without love’ act as the critical centre point in much of Duras’ work.

* ‘(Futura) Mon Amour’: During the length of Choreography, Arcade’s printed material will undergo a typographical adjustment. Influenced by Marguerite Duras’ use of sensuous narratives, shifts of power and her own life experiences, curator Sam Watson will employ altered versions of Paul Renner’s Futura, used by the gallery in all of its communications. Like much of Duras’ writings, the subtle intervention results in a recasting, an iteration that culminates in a new and intimate reading.