Monday 10 October 2005.

This Monday evening we meet at the Tire Bouchon, a bistro in the old centre of Rennes. Everyone's there. Larys Frogier and Charlotte Blin from La Criée, Jocelyn, of course, and his guests: Carla Cruz and the two Rennais Marcel Dinahet and Sébastien Vonier. Neal Beggs has come from Nantes to say hello to Roddy. Loïc Touzé turns up a bit later. When Jocelyn told me about this project of residencies and exchanges with a number of cities on the Atlantic arc, I thought of Roddy in Glasgow. My immediate reward is to see my Scottish friend again in our good city of Rennes. Warm hugs. And we are both pleased about my newly published book on art and sport, La Beauté du geste , in which Roddy occupies an essential position. He didn't make it to Chamarande for Sportivement Vôtre where we showed his video Tombez la chemise , and I wonder if we've actually seen each other since the exhibition at Vassivière, in the summer of 2000. I find him in excellent form, with his big laugh and his energy. He introduces me to Nuno Sacramento, a curator who divides his time between Utrecht in the Netherlands and Glasgow. For some years now he and Roddy have had this project called the Art Cup involving football matches between different national teams of artists accompanied by an exhibition of their works. Such, then, are the two rather difficult, twin criteria for selection: you need good artists who are also decent footballers. The Scottish team is formidable, to judge by the 14:2 hiding it inflicted on the Portuguese.

One of Jocelyn's ideas, one of the principles of Just a Walk , is to invite artists he met when staying in Glasgow, San Sebastian, Bilbao and Porto to exchange and then to propose their works and projects online. The Rennes meeting was the first of these crystallisations. Using the terminal set up at La Criée, information on these exchanges and crossovers was freely available to anyone who wanted it. Other points of access are planned at a later date in other places, other towns. This mediation is part of Jocelyn's work, a part that is difficult to formalise and make visible, but essential nevertheless. There are echoes here of his work as a designer, his taste for mixing disciplines, and in particular for scenography. It's ambiguous, of course, it's a fragile meeting between subjective affirmation and fecund porosity, taking into account the context, places and other artists he meets there. Sometimes things go no further. That's the name of the game.

Larys and he wanted me to get involved with this project, both by helping Jocelyn in his research and working on the Art Cup, which Nuno and Roddy would like to put on in France. Roddy had already asked me about this two or three years ago. I had other occupations and didn't take it any further. This time I cannot and do not want to wriggle out of it. Besides, I feel in good company on this Just a Walk project, with my friend Marcel and also Sébastien Vonier, a young artist from these parts and student of Marcel's.

The meal is very jolly, we talk about this and that. I hang on as best I can to Roddy's English as he talks with Neal. He speaks frequently to me; too: one time, I pretend to understand and nod knowingly, another, I do understand (and nod even more). I'm exhausted. I have a lecture early tomorrow. I go home early. Just exchanged a few words with Nuno. We agree to continue by email. This is the start of something – exactly what, I can't say, yet.

Jean-Marc Huitorel