6 Scenarios

1 During a workshop a dispute arises between two participants. The situation looks like it could escalate as the controversial positions cannot be resolved. A stalemate arises – and the entire work comes to a standstill. Suddenly, one of the two gets up, goes to the table with the drinks, pours mineral water into two glasses. He puts one on his own place, brings the other to his opponent. The situation relaxes, the work continues. Whether the two have found a solution is irrelevant here. What is essential is that a conciliatory gesture intervenes in an impersonal professional situation and reminds us for this one moment that opponents are also human beings.

2 During a feast, an auction is held for the benefit of a charitable institution. A visitor looks at the objects to be auctioned but does not see anything that appeals to her. She pulls out her wallet, takes out a large banknote and deposits it in the donation box. A generous gesture, comments her companion.

3 Two people know each other for many years. Each knows about the other’s quirks. They agree on a hand signal to indicate that they are starting to behave in a way they don’t want to: picking their nose, biting their fingernails, talking their heads off. This hand signal proves itself, is refined – and becomes a secret gesture.

4 In a therapy session, therapist and client agree that the client will develop a movement that she can use whenever she is in danger of being overwhelmed by emotions. In the next session, the client suddenly snaps her fingers – and relaxes. She can now use her intimate gesture as protection.

5 At a large road crossing, all the traffic lights are down. A policewoman stands in the middle of the crossing and stretches her arms straight out to the side, away from her body. The drivers looking at the policewoman’s chest and back stop, those looking at her from the side drive off. They all understand this codified gesture as a clear instruction to act.

6 A woman stands in front of a building with her index finger stretched up high. Passers-by stop and look up – and leave shaking their heads. From a distance, a man takes a photo of the woman. Months later, the woman compiles many similar photos into a collage under the title “A Personal Gesture” and publishes them. In focus of each of these six scenarios is the gesture: as conciliatory, generous, secret, intimate, codified and as personal. Others are conceivable.

Marlen Wagner