The First Kiss Project

Originally published in English on the Instagram account of Triangle-Astérides, The First Kiss Project is a two-part writing project initiated by Rafael RG during his confined residency.

We couldn’t take to the streets anymore. We couldn’t touch each other anymore.

I told my flatmate that I was going to the supermarket. I asked her if she wanted something, she said no and I told her not to worry, I would leave my shoes outside the flat, wash my clothes, clean the groceries, all of these new procedures we do when we go out to the streets…
I actually went to the St. Charles station to meet you. 1.5 meters of distance, or 2, I’m not very good with measurements. At least I had the chance to see you one last time and say hello unexcitingly. We couldn’t help but laugh, a comical situation, and sad as well. There wasn’t much to be done, so you left and I went to the Carrefour City, even though I didn’t have to buy anything in particular, yet I thought it would be awkward to return home emptyhanded.

To avoid touching the doorknobs and elevator buttons I took the stairway to the 4th floor. I left my boots outside and went straight towards the bathroom. I went into the shower, turned the hot water on and stepped underneath the falling water with my clothes still on, with my mask and gloves, grocery bags: tomato sauce jars, liégeois à la crème fraiche, brie cheese, and a few beer bottles. Everything got soaked while I was trying to understand what the upcoming days would be like.

I sketched some ideas in the improvised studio inside my bedroom, “First Kiss, an Introduction”; was one of them. I didn’t want to leave Marseille with the feeling of unfinished work.
During the residency, before the lockdown, we were planning to visit nursing homes. Elderly people, immigrants, dreamers, folk with plenty of life stories. I wanted to talk, to listen to these stories. Exchange stories, stories about a first kiss.
Intimate memories of a trivial occurrence in the lives of many of us. Youthful memories, some of pain, of longing of dreams “Revisit the past in order to strengthen our wishes of today”; I told a friend while explaining the project.
During this month, the month in which I would finish my residency, we’ll share some stories here. People who have crossed my path while I was in Marseille. Stories about the first kiss of some of these people.

T.

My first kiss was not my first kiss, my first was probably my third but it is my first because I wanted it, my 0 and -1 were stolen in child play and in adult silliness. I had all the things I needed for it, the person, the strong feeling that is infatuation, a disguise of love and the technic on how two lips come together to touch one another regardless of other facial features that get in the way, the nose and the moustache in my case. For my first kiss I practiced, using the side of a finger, that has no identical anatomy to that of two lips. I didn’t know where I would kiss, I knew I would and that in itself was enough. « Let’s take a walk on the wild side let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain » that was my first kiss, I loved him when I kissed him and I kissed him right, a struck negotiation of fear and delight. Fear because we would be thrown into jail if the people in the car payed us any attention and delight because I loved him. We kept running in the rain to stay away from the rain, we couldn’t hold hands but we could stand at a breath-length of each other. We giggled like reborn children although we were of an added age of 40. The delight was our walk on the wild side.

Ibadan, Nigeria.

Images : Selected parts of the Criminal Code Act and the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act signed in 2013 by the Nigerian former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

”[…] During my residency, before the lockdown, we had planned to visit retirement homes. To meet elderly people, immigrants, dreamers, people with countless life stories. I wanted to talk and listen to their stories. To exchange our stories, stories of first kisses. Intimate memories of a seemingly trivial event in most of our lives, memories of youth, pain, desires, dreams…

‘Remembering the past to strengthen our wishes for today’; I explained to a friend while talking about the project.

This month, the month that was supposed to mark the end of my residency, we will share stories here. Stories from people I’ve encountered in Marseille. Stories of their first kisses.”