One winter night a few years ago, I joined a motley group of about 35 people gathered in the walled courtyard of a former cosmetics factory in Aubervilliers, a commune just north of Paris. The derelict space had been taken over by artists, and low-income housing projects lit the skyline.
The Sydney-born, Paris-based artist Angelica Mesiti had invited people of different generations and backgrounds to participate in a midnight filmed performanc…