One would of course think about the idea of a path between the out- side and inside, leading to new amalgamations and a possible relation between separate entities. Besides the play on words which suggests an idea of intimacy, the neologism INtime/EXtime could be translated from English (for the French public) by “in time/out of time”, this oblique stroke which pegs together two opposites, a simple line which both separates and unites in an ultimate attempt to find verticality. A couple, in somewhat, delimited by a typographic parenthesis, demonstrating the stake of the individualized body, of its limits, its movements, its trade with other bodies. Agent bodies, in this case three singularities twice, which come together in a double project of trios which are INtime/EXtime (Anne Laurent, Matthieu Doze and Alain Buffard) and MORE et encore (Matthieu Doze, Rachid Ouramdane and Alain Buffard). 

The air circulates between our inside and the outside. As a conductive element, it states that we are open. Therefore alive. That we are a non-closed circuit, unachieved. From there came the idea of the extension of a body. But one must first feel this body. It is by touching that it feels, it touches the outside because it touches itself as if outside. This sequence, for instance, where our three bodies come together by articulating a segment in relation to the mass of the two other bodies, produces an extension which makes the belonging proper to each body undetermined. This gives way to a coming and going between single and multiple, fusion and fragmentation, form and shapelessness. Often unpredictable, only slightly definable, this combination of movements depends upon the absolute necessity of the movement of one in order to provoke that of the others... and the organization of these extensions allows the body’s own existence. 

In the domain of expansion, we have also experimented with the addition of costumes which underline forms or invent new anatomies. As if the relation between surfaces or envelopes gave birth to two skins and two insides... Balloons which inflate or offer new volumes, additional areas of contact, pneumatic or acoustic appendages. 

From breath and sound, one also comes to language, in reference to a Vito Acconci performance, also losing sight while trying to designate parts of the other’s body. This impossible attempt parallels the primary function of language: description and information. The simplicity of the language’s literal usage weakens the relationship and forces the blind to reconstruct indefinitely the partner’s body. The loss of sight slowly erodes the steadiness of the body. Its structure can only be reconstructed by tactile means. The mistakes of guesswork intensify the presence of the body in the world. 

MORE et encore is recycled from the lexical base of INtime/EXtime. Both choreographies can be presented independently. Double recycling, INtime/EXtime, a “quotation” from Acconci’s work, and MORE et encore, a recycling from INtime/EXtime. The quotation: borrowing or homage? Repetition, duplication or derivation? With the frequency of quotations in our postmodern society, originality ceases to be an absolute value. Or else, it is a refuge – the last one? But what does this all mean, in an era of reproducibility systems, computer networks and sampling? Attachment to originality would be to hold on to the idea of origin. Beware of copies, ideas must be brand marked “authentic” and if possible new. 

Recycling, yes, but by eliminating matter from its origin to offer other viewpoints, such as an enlarged index. Establishing a temporary order with various constructions. Annotating a register of interpretation and differentiated intentions with the same choreographic material: thus, for showings, the form of MORE et encore will evolve. The content of the piece can unfold, according to the context in which it is presented.

The work scheme being that: the recurrence and the repetition can paradoxically distance us from the figure itself. This also means that a piece is “the addition of some occurrences and not a finished product.”*

Alain Buffard [March 1999]

* Catherine David, in Vacarme, n° 7, January 1999, p. 61.Bien sûr, on pense à l’idée de passage entre intérieur et extérieur, à des assemblages nouveaux, des relations possibles entre des unités distinctes. Il y a aussi dans INtime/EXtime – outre le jeu de mots qui s’amuse avec l’idée d’intimité –, ce néologisme qui pourrait être traduit de l’anglais par « à temps/hors temps », cette barre oblique qui cheville deux opposés, un simple trait qui sépare et qui agrège à la fois dans une ultime tentative pour trouver une verticalité.

Un couple en quelque sorte, délimité par une incise typographique pour dire l’enjeu du corps individué, de ses limites, de ses déplacements, de ses commerces avec les autres corps. Des corps agents, en l’occurrence deux fois trois singularités qui viennent s’inscrire dans un double projet de trios que sont INtime/EXtime (Anne Laurent, Matthieu Doze et Alain Buffard) et MORE et encore (Matthieu Doze, Rachid Ouramdane et Alain Buffard).

L’air circule entre l’intérieur et l’extérieur de nous-mêmes. Comme élément conducteur, il affirme que nous sommes ouverts. Donc vivants. Que nous sommes un système non clos, non fini. De là à l’idée d’extension du corps. Encore faut-il le sentir ce corps.

C’est par le toucher qu’il sent, il touche le dehors parce qu’il se touche comme dehors. Cette séquence par exemple, où nos trois corps s’agencent en articulant un segment par rapport à la masse des deux autres corps, produit des prolongements qui rendent indéterminables les appartenances propres à chaque corps. S’engage un va-et-vient entre le singulier et le multiple, la fusion et la fragmentation, la forme et l’informe. Cette matière de mouvement de l’un pour provoquer celui des autres. Et cette condition ordonne les extensions comme existence même de nos corps.

Sur les territoires de l’expansion, nous avons expérimenté aussi des ajouts, matérialisés par des costumes qui accentuent les formes ou inventent de nouvelles anatomies. Comme si les rapports de surfaces et d’enveloppes fabriquaient des doubles peaux, des doubles intérieurs. Des ballons qui prolongent ou offrent d’autres volumes, d’autres surfaces de toucher, appendices pneumatiques ou sonores.

Du souffle, du son, on en vient aussi au langage en empruntant à une performance de Vito Acconci. Ne plus voir, essayer de désigner les parties du corps de l’autre. Cette impossible tentative de nommer rend opérante l’une des premières fonctions du langage, la désignation, l’indication. Cette utilisation littérale du langage ébranle la relation par sa simplicité, obligeant l’aveugle à reconstruire sans cesse le corps de son partenaire. La vue perdue érode la fixité du corps, seul le toucher permet d’en reconstituer son architecture. Les ratages des énoncés intensifient la présence du corps au monde.

MORE et encore s’appuie sur le socle lexical d’INtime/EXtime en le recyclant, l’une et l’autre pièce peuvent être présentées de manière indépendante. Double recyclage, celui d’Acconci comme l’un des éléments d’INtime/EXtime, d’aucuns parleraient de citation ; et recyclage de ce dernier avec MORE et encore.

La citation : emprunt, ou hommage ? Redite, duplication, ou dérivation ? Si le postmoderne en use si fréquemment, alors l’originalité cesse d’être une valeur absolue. Ou alors elle apparaît comme un refuge – l’ultime ? Que vaut en effet cette notion à l’ère des systèmes de reproductibilité, des réseaux informatiques, de l’échantillonnage ? Se cheviller à l’originalité serait se cramponner à l’idée de l’origine. Attention à la copie, il faut estampiller « authentique » et si possible nouveau.

Recyclage oui, mais par liquidation des matériaux de leur origine pour offrir d’autres points de vue, comme un index élargi. Établir un ordre provisoire avec des constructions différentes. Émarger des registres d’interprétations et d’intentions différenciés avec les mêmes matières chorégraphiques : ainsi à chaque présentation, la forme de MORE et encore évoluera, la matière de la pièce peut se déployer d’une manière « informée » suivant les contextes où elle sera présentée.
 C’est prendre pour hypothèse de travail que la récurrence et la répétition peuvent paradoxalement nous éloigner de la figure du même. C’est aussi dire qu’une pièce est la « somme de ces occurrences et non pas un produit fini *. »
Alain Buffard [mars 1999]
 * Catherine David, in Vacarme, n° 7, janvier 1999, p. 61. 

Alain Buffard starts dancing in 1978 with Alwin Nikolaïs at the Centre national de danse contemporaine in Angers. He dances in several productions from Brigitte Farges and Daniel Larrieu, as well as Régine Chopinot, Philippe Decouflé. He realizes a choreography for two plays with Marie-Christine Georghiu, accompanied by the Rita Mitsuko rock group, a first solo "Bleu nuit" in 1988, and Wagner's Master singers of Nuremberg staged by Claude Régy in 1989.

While carrying on his career of dancer, he works as an assistant in Anne de Villepoix 's Gallery for exhibitions on R. Zaugg, Fischli & Weiss, Chris Burden and V. Acconci. At the same time, he is a correspondent for two Norwegian daily papers, for which he covers visual arts events in France. He stops dancing between 1991 and 1996. In 1996 he makes two decisive meetings : one with Yvonne Rainer on the occasion of the updating of her play Continuous Project ­ Altered Daily by the Albrecht KNUST Quatuor, and another one with Anna Haplrin, with whom he is working as the winner of the "Villa Medicis - hors les murs" prize.

In January 1998 he creates "Good boy", his second solo, and then makes in 1999 two trios INtime / EXtime and MORE et encore. "Tout va bien" is premiered in June 2010 at Festival Montpellier Danse and his last piece "Baron Samedi" is created in April 2012 at the Théâtre de Nîmes where he was an associated artist for both seasons 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.

He also realized "My lunch with Anna", a film with Anna Halprin in California with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in France and le Fresnoy national studio for contemporary arts, where he was associated artist during the season 2004-2005.

Source: Alain Buffard 's website

1960-2013.
 

Alain Buffard starts dancing in 1978 with Alwin Nikolaïs at the Centre national de danse contemporaine in Angers. He dances in several productions from Brigitte Farges and Daniel Larrieu, as well as Régine Chopinot, Philippe Decouflé. He realizes a choreography for two plays with Marie-Christine Georghiu, accompanied by the Rita Mitsuko rock group, a first solo "Bleu nuit" in 1988, and Wagner's Master singers of Nuremberg staged by Claude Régy in 1989.
 

While carrying on his career of dancer, he works as an assistant in Anne de Villepoix 's Gallery for exhibitions on R. Zaugg, Fischli & Weiss, Chris Burden and V. Acconci. At the same time, he is a correspondent for two Norwegian daily papers, for which he covers visual arts events in France. He stops dancing between 1991 and 1996. In 1996 he makes two decisive meetings : one with Yvonne Rainer on the occasion of the updating of her play Continuous Project ­ Altered Daily by the Albrecht KNUST Quatuor, and another one with Anna Haplrin, with whom he is working as the winner of the "Villa Medicis - hors les murs" prize.
 

In January 1998 he creates "Good boy", his second solo, and then makes in 1999 two trios INtime / EXtime and MORE et encore. "Tout va bien" is premiered in June 2010 at Festival Montpellier Danse and his last piece "Baron Samedi" is created in April 2012 at the Théâtre de Nîmes where he was an associated artist for both seasons 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.
 

He also realized "My lunch with Anna", a film with Anna Halprin in California with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in France and le Fresnoy national studio for contemporary arts, where he was associated artist during the season 2004-2005.

Source: Alain Buffard 's website