From reality to fiction, Carré Arrondi is a theatrical performance that delves into the fragmented memories and traumas of Vietnamese-born nail technicians—figures who are both real and imaginary. The play explores the shifting boundaries between identity, deconstruction, and reconstruction of the self, weaving a poetic narrative where personal and collective memories intertwine. It questions the intersections of social class and gender, while revealing the intimate dialogues between the self and the other, echoes oscillating between being and nothingness. Furthermore, Carré arrondi offers a reflection on the power of language, where words, silences, and the unsaid meet in the space between languages.
Within the Vietnamese diaspora, the profession of nail technician is mainly practiced by the new generation of migrants, those who emerged after postcolonial migration linking the Indochinese peninsula to France. These people left Vietnam with fears about the future and a deep desire to offer their families a better life. However, they often find themselves facing increased vulnerability: human trafficking, working conditions akin to modern slavery, exposure to harmful chemical environments, and exhausting work rates. This reality ushers in an immigrant existence torn between two worlds: that of memories and remembrance, and that of the present, floating in an identity limbo, neither fish nor fowl.