Collecting the polaroids taken during winter time in Vendée, walking through the field, gazing at the ocean. The place where I grew up. Looking for nothing, maybe just for organic shapes, the idea that everything is one and Nature's law is beyond human understanding.
I started self-portraits, during a solo trip of several months through Iceland and the United States. At each stage of my trip I had voluntarily chosen to stay several weeks in isolated places, surrounded by nature, and with very few connections with the outside world (limited access to a car to go out and to the internet)
My self-portraits are a way of situating myself in a certain space and time
Like a need to check my own presence…
It was during these few months that I felt alive and vibrating in contact with nature. Without thinking too much about it, I began to photograph myself with my film camera and sometimes my Polaroid camera. A frozen moment, as if not to forget these intense moments of presence to myself and to nature. Nudity, present sometime in my photos, is a way to feel closer to nature. Also to show my nudity in a neutral way. Without any intention to objectify my body. Since this trip, in 2018, I have continued to photograph myself regularly.
Despite the simplicity of this action, which is to take pictures of myself using a tripod or a mirror, I realize that this gesture is potentially feminist and activist. Creators of images and films have this power to represent women in as many facets as possible. For a long time, we had little form of female representation. Today, it seems to me that we have a greater variety of female representation through photos and films. It is just the beginning?
In this selection of self-portraits, I represent myself in different spaces. These pictures speak of these spaces, of my relationship to these spaces, to my body. These photos are snapshots of an emotional state.
I started this little project last year when Alli was living her last week in Barcelona after spending there some years. I thought of the people I care in Barcelona, and how most of them are artist, at least in their mind and way of life. Barcelona has been for me my highway to the "artist world". Coming from a small town in the ouest of France, and then studying in various middle size city in France. My first "real life" work after my master degree was in Barcelona. I accepted this work because I knew how Barcelona was thanks to an internship I did there before during my studies. It the kind of city who makes me live 100%. Sometimes,it is going to fast. A place where I now have my very close friend. And thanks to this city, I have been able to work on beautiful and amazing artistic projects. For me it is this magical place where the universe sent me all the people I needed to meet. But since the Corona virus crisis, and the quarantine is still not over yet when I am writing those words, things are more uncertain than ever. I am about to take the decision to take a break from Barcelona, see what else the world has to offer me. Maybe the best place on earth for me now right now is to be back to that small town in the west of France? Who knows? Barcelona gave me the strengths and the creative energy I needed. Now, I feel that any decision I take, any place I choose to live. I will keep this beautiful energy. Here, is a small visual story of an artist. An artist who spent some years in Barcelona. And was about to live to an other city when I took those photos... The story of Alli in August 2019:
You can look at Alli's work on her instagram here
And here for an other photo shootée Alli on the same rooftop on 2018
I met Alma and Arrian on the set of a music video. Alma is a dancer. She mesmerized the audience when she went up on the bar and did her moves. But what really moved me was to see Alma and Arrian together. Not long after this, I asked them if they would be up to take part of the project in my room. For me it was my first time shooting in this new bedroom I just rented. And for them it was also their first "Intimate" photo shoot. We started this shoot with some tea and some vodka. Those moments are for me magical, a way to get to know individuals and to laugh a lot! I also wanted to tell a sweet and romantic story of love between girls. Looking back at when I was a teenage girl, when I was reading romantic stories in my favorites books, it was always between boys and girls. I just wish I could read books with different kind of romance back then... So here is my story of Arrian & Alma :
|
