Becoming a fencer

I have chosen to explore the world of fencing because of its intrinsic characteristics. "The art of not being touched and then art of touching, if you are able to" (G. Robert Ainé, La science des armes 1887). Measurement, speed, respect. Watching these young fencers of different ages I was often struck by the contrast between the delicacy of their small hands and the determined speed of their attack actions. In portraying them, I asked them to pose with their fencing equipment. Before the camera, in the instant of the click, some maintained the awareness of the fencer, others remained children. For all of them, in describing this path of growth as athletes and individuals, I waited for the moment when they were at once close and distant, when their facial expression, through a small fragility or an element of strength, revealed their true self beyond the fencing “mask”.