Commemorative exhibition to "Je suis Charlie" in the AAB gallery on January 2016.

 It was important for me to symbolically show my commitment with the spirit that came out from the « Je suis charlie » events. The artistic association I belong planned an exhibition to commemorate this spirit. Called « Je suis artist » (I am an Artist) it took place beginning January from the 8th to 17th. I also contributed to the organization of the show. Initially I thought I would present previous works realized in 2015, but the last events of the 13th November urged me to be more creative and present something completely new I had not done before.
So I decided to present 4 works. 3 panoramic bands based on street-art paintings  from locations directly involved in the dramatic events of November 2015 : a wall just beside the restaurant Cambodge based rue Aligre and fences installed around a bar located in the middle of place de la République.

As the walls and fences were quite long I could not use my « Traveling photo » technique. So I took several classical photos which were merged with Photoshop. Then in order to express my contribution I integrated my Panoroïds photos.

The generic title for these new panoramic photos was « Jean chante Paris» (John sings Paris- but there is a joke with the French verb "J'ENCHANTE" which means "I lay a spell on Paris") and each work was named after a song or poem celebrating Paris.

For me my photos are like writings and I consider that one of the missions of the artist is to « Sing his world around ». Along with the works we had to provide with few words as a commentary.  Mine was :

Etre artiste à Paris en 2015 s’est avéré difficile. Nous

représentons la liberté de création. Entre émotion

et information, notre contribution reste indispensable. Ma réponse

est une série de photos panoramiques intitulées « Jean chante Paris ».

Chaque photo est un chant du griot photographe que je suis. 

Being an artist in Paris in 2015 has been difficult. We represent creativity and freedom. Between emotion and information our contribution remains an obligation. My answer is a group of panoramic photos named « Jean chante Paris » (John sings Paris).  Each photo is a song from the photographic bard I am.

1) Paris sera toujours Paris. Paris will always be Paris.  (Music : Offenbach, French Cancan, variété, Bataclan..) Maurice  Chevalier, 20x90 cm

2) Paris j’ai deux Amours  (Paris I have two loves. (Paris historique et la photo) Baker, 20x90 cm

3) Feux (Lumière, flammes, bougies, fleurs, amour, mort, hommages) Aragon, 20x90 cm

Paris sera toujours Paris panoramic features a wall paintiong from the Place de la République that became emblamatic.It reproduces the Coat of Arms and Motto  of the city «  Fluctuat nec mergitur », a Latin phrase meaning "Tossed but not sunk".

"Paris sera toujours Paris" panoramic features a street-wall painting from the Place de la République that became emblematic.  To it I have added special a collection of Panoroïds representing the Eiffel Tower dancing specially lighted for the commemoration during two weeks.

"Au-Delà du Réel" (Outter Limits) The exhibition and my Paris Photo Expo 2015.

I mentioned earlier that I had no experience of such an organization, but now this is finished, the exhibition is open and the 17 artists and their 60 works are displayed. Now we need to follow the event and try to identify the impact of the communication to the press and hope many visitors will come including to the Vernissage

that will take place next Wednesday evening on the 4th November.

If there are sales it would be « the cherry on the cake ».

An artist is someone who always lives in reaction to his surrounding. At the beginning I intended to just present previous works. This choice has also been done by some artists. But in September I found the energy again to produce new images based on the Geode, a rounded cinema of the "Cité Des Sciences". Plenty of ideas came up during the shooting period of the photos. So I decided, to break a rule and have learned to use partially the software «Photoshop». Why make such a change? During the selection of the works I was confronted with the use of photo composition in its diversity. The subject of the Geode itself forced me into that direction because it was quite difficult to produce with that building good « Panoroïds» using a single image, whereas just in employing the symmetry of a mirror the possibilities became multiple. The other reason is that be in a cage of a « No Photoshop User » had no important impact on the sales or my fame. So I decided, to try an experience with this exhibition and see how the public will react to my new creations. Of course the basis of my work remains the « Panoroïds», but I will extend the variety of my photos with Photoshop. This choice should also open gates to participate at many thematic exhibitions.

Finally, I conceived how I would contribute: I would produce a small exhibition within the major show. This was my way to express that between artist and their creative process there are correspondences. In my case the sky, the architecture, Photoshop, the use of software, street art, reversed symmetry, movement, digital photo are things that could be also found in the work of the other exhibitors. There are five pieces exhibited shown is the photo. The two on the right are single Panoroïds. 

The first is called « Bulb Bottle » and present a distortion of the building as I generally do, but here the result is astonishing.

The second work is my first « Installation » called Euréka. It illustrates the principle of reversed symmetry obtained with a mirror. The resulting view presents an electric bulb. This recalls me Edison, and the saying « Et la lumière fut » (And Light became true). By extension it evokes my creativity and the new ideas that came up during that period. The choice of making a package to present the mirror and the photo was logical as there was a volume created initially and it needed to be shaped. The packaging is a mixed of different papers which found an application instead of being thrown to the litter. This reuse is compatible with my present financial situation and the promotion of the COP 21 Conference that will take place in a month in Paris. The result is like a box and the visitor is obliged to look in it to see the bulb. I have written «Boite à idée » (Box of an idea) which is a common expression in French, but usually with idea written in plural form and not single. This box also was a reference to a discussion I had with an other artist about her work which reproduced a « camera obscura » my work being a «camara clara ». Finally, I want to show that I am a Street Art artist so I tagged the packaging. So this box is the only « dirty » 3D object that interacts with the visitor.

The two others photos are "Love Planet (2)" and a "SelfPortrait" using reversed symmetry produced with a software.

 The last photo on the left is « Le Grand Totem » (The Big Totem) is a complete photo composition using plenty of elements all taking their origin in the Géode building. This is a more conceptual and esoteric approach.

All the photos belong to a set called « La Géode en Folie » (When the Géode got mad). « Folie » is the name of the different architectural elements painted red that can be found in the Parc of La Villette.

« Au-delà du Réel » (Outter Limits) my first experience as an exhibition organizer for the Ateliers des Artistes de Belleville, 29 October – 9 November 2015

   

Poster of the exhibition. 

For seven months I have prepared a collective exhibition of photos. The task is not easy because I had no experience in this field, there was not in the beginning a big motivation within the association to participate and this event had been organized in the past with success. I have selected different subjects that  had to be open enough and original. The final choice was for « Au-Delà du Réel » (Beyond Reality).  Next week the exhibition will take place in the gallery of the A.A.B., 17 artists including me will be shown with 55 works. I have provided a large amount of work to advertise the event in the press using Internet.

Before September  I intended to present previous photos because I had not been very creative, but this changed completely when I started to work on a new subject: La Géode, which is a spherical building near the Cité des Sciences a 360° panoramic screen. The exterior of the architecture is covered with metallic tiles that reflect the sky and its environment. I do not know why, but my creativity came back and finally I decided to present a set of four completely new photos.

Love Planet, a photo composition made with a duplicated "Panoroïd" and Photoshop.

In complete contradiction with what I have produced until now I have used Photoshop and photo-compositions for the event. It will be interesting to look at the reactions of the public. I have tried to do my best but the situation in France regarding the art market is so flat, that it is impossible to provide any forecasts. A next post will comment the results of the show. Cross fingers!

Contribution to the « Constellation » project from the A.A.B., Atelier d’Artistes de Belleville,to the Parisian "Nuit Blanche" on the 3rd October 2015.

When I registered by the AAB I wanted to break the circle of my loneliness, but I had no experience of an artistic association nor the practice of collaborating of other artists. For these reasons I had no idea of how things might evolve. I concentrated my action for a commission whose objective is to develop the use of the association ‘s gallery, an open space of about 70 square Meters. So when the idea of producing an event for the Parisian "Nuits Blanches 2015" by Annie Barel with Monique Mathey, two other members who had managed a similar production in 2014, I back up the project. In May we were still doubting about the number of people who would contributors so I decided to produce something for the event that is not a photography. But I am not a graphic engineer nor a painter, so I had to find something original.

 This year the initial thematic was Constellation, but as France will receive the major U.N.O. conference on climate in December it was decided to add that the productions should be connected with the problems related and discussed by COP 21.

Having studied slowly that question I found that there was something odd to try to associate the two things. During the summer a new planet called U452 might be able to become a new earth for human life but it is placed very far from us. So what the point to try to go there? When you consider the amount of energy (and money) that is used and spent to leave earth for space, undoubtedly the ecological consequences are negative. So to reinforce this approach I imagined a time when space would be integrated as an extension of our earth with regular transport networks. As a result to organize the movements in this space of common people you need signs to inform and provide security to the travellers along these roads. So, I imagined signs I would see around me in space when I would be driving my spaceship.

That is how the idea of designing the panels occurred. Then I decided to produce several in different sizes in order to be spread around the space among the « constellations » of the other artists. My productions where in colour and not only white because I wanted to provide coloured elements that would animate the eye of the viewer, and bring him to make a funny and surprising travel from sign to sign. So this was my idea.

The event finally took place and 28 artists contributed to provide an installation. I went there to see the final production the result was very far from what I had in mind.

-     The vast majority of the « constellation »presented had no relation at all with the problem of COP 21-     One artist was presenting a much bigger project that was occupying alone one window,

-     From the seven signs I had offered only one could be correctly read in the middle of the installation, three were placed in the background and needed concentration to be seen

-     My biggest sign was installed outside where there was no blacklight

 But spending time on the site I discovered that this had no importance at all because the public had completed different expectations: it just wanted to have the feeling of seeing something nice and take a photo with a smart phone. They looked at the Constellations just as if it was a shop window from a store in Christmas. With the behaviour of the crowd they had no time to think at all.

 At about nine pm when night was present an artist came dressed like a lighted fairy, in a space of five seconds all the eyes and phones where directed toward him and no one looked at the installation for 15 minutes at least any more.

This is very interesting because our society imagines that communication would work just by producing information. In fact, this model does not work because no one communicate towards the same direction and with the same goals. Artists, private and public organizers and the public are independent components of the system. If you introduce too much control it won't work, artists will not contribute for instance. In our society it is important to communicate, to be referenced in major events to exist. That's all the rest is mere speculation and under no control.

For me this is a very positive experience and I will apply the lessons in my future works.

At least there is "Photoshop" that allows to present what I had imagined.  That is the purpose of the present post.

A new initiative and experience with the AAB, Ateliers des Artistes de Belleville : the Portes Ouvertes (Open Doors 2015), 29th May-1st June.

Even if this post is written in October 2015 I felt the need to enter an artist association in 2014, and made unsuccessful trials that year. In 2015 I subscribed to the AAB the nearest association from my apartment. I did not want an association based on photography because my customers are not photographers, the latter being generally only interested in informations about my shooting technique and forget everything about emotion and the finality of my work.

Their objective is to reproduce it, not for money, but for narcissistic reasons. So after a private presentation to a member of the association I was admitted.   

 Panoroïde without Photoshop. Mestissages, 2014. This suite of photos were presented during the Open Doors 2015 at the Régie de Quartier, 4 rue Robert Houdin, Paris 11ème. 

This association is among the oldest in Paris and became famous in the 70s when they were very active against the architectural projects of that period, which aimed to destroy many old buildings symptomatic of the Old Paris.

Thank you for the local association "Régie de Quartier Fontaine au Roi" for having given me the opportunity to participate to the Open Doors.

To welcome to the new members, we were invited to participate in a small exhibition, called Mini Mix,  that took place in the gallery of the association.  The major event of this association is their Open Doors that take place each year during one week-end  end of May or beginning of June. To participate you need to have a workshop, or a place to exhibit your work alone or collectively. I managed to find quickly a local association that supported this initiative and offered a larger space to present my photos  that I shared with another artist.

Photo from the inside.

The Open Doors took place on the   and globally were positive, even if the space is located south–west from the centre where most workshops are.  Sharing the space with Françoise Gasser also member of the AAB, was a real pleasure and there was no competition between our personalities or works. Globally I sold mostly cheap photos and some large framed ones. The amount of the sale was not very big, but as there was no rent, it paid at least for the printing and framing of the photos.

Beside this event I decided to become active in the association and entered the commission responsible for the agenda of the gallery.

My Charlie Hebdo's Days. Mes Journées Charlie. (Charlie Hebdo -2/2)

As an artist I could not remain aside. Many people in France even if they where not artist felt the need to react, contribute to our society by acting. Personal initiatives were numerous. My reaction began on saturday the 10th of january, when I began with some photos at Place de la République. I discovered the numerous commemorative sites gathering candles, flowers and all sorts of writing and design tools. On Sunday before working I was there too. It is on the 11th that I decided to apply my technique in the middle of the crowd, normally journalist shoot their photos using a high speed and a wide angle lens. Here the challenge was to try fix  this historical moment with panoramic photos. Here distortion is not the subject. How could I be creative and simultaneously report that day? that was the question. I was not in the march due to my work.

After that week end I discovered other commemorative sites of different importance between La République and Bastille. The most impressive one was in the street of Charlie Hebdo. So during 3 months I followed and photographed these sites. Some where vandalysed and I registered that too.

Today Charlie Hebdo is reprinted and publication is saved for 2 years. History is sometimes produced by stupid and dramatic acts. If nothing had happened on the 7th the newspaper was going bankrupt and today it would be unpublished and an object for collectors.

Regarding photography what is the result with the photos obtained :

- first it is possible to produce panoramics in such a context and have real expressive photos

- secondly it is possible to have in the same photo a detail and the context. This is what I call "INCREASED REALITY". Instead of having two photos and a text to connect them, you present every thing in one picture. The viewer is completely "informed" by the image.

-thirdly creativity can be found in the framing and the subject. The purpose of my photos was not to compete with journalists but have a personal approach of the subject.

-Retouching is necessary to save images that are expressive. In the present context of informative photos retouching just corresponds to what is made in the press today. It does not affect the meaning of the image. It reinforces the impact of the image. I managed to make certain in one shot, but it is a real challenge.

- The panoramic angle is really near the normal human view, as a result you are in the event.

-In France due to the regulation these photos are delicate, but in this historical moment I accepted to cross the line and present the people. Every one, including myself, could not avoid to be photographed that day, all wanted to have moments of that event, with cameras or Iphone shooting was every where. You can spot it in the photos.

Finally I have produced over 100 photos, pictured about 9 commemorative sites during 3 months. Now I am looking for an editor. The titel of the publication is : Mes Journées Charlie. My Charlie Days.

mail: denoronhapanoramic@gmail.com

Charlie Hebdo Dramatic Events of January 2015 (Charlie Hebdo 1/2)

The January events of Charlie Hebdo were dramatic. For the French they are our 11th September. Like many persons, artist or not, I could not stand without reacting. Like many French people I was not a reader of the magazine, but the chock was grate. So this was my personal contribution and reply to the events. There are many other through out France. The work produced just show how I was affected. These days where History and the first time that I saw the French people united about some value that are considered as the foundation of French identity and republic. They had forgotten their indifference and went out to claim their credo and express where the limit were: freedom of  the press, separation of the religious and public domain, brotherhood between different religious communities.

As an artist I could not remain aside. Many people in France even if they where not artist felt the need to react, contribute to our society by acting. Personal initiatives are numerous. My reaction began on saturday the 10th of january, when I began with some photos at Place de la République. I discovered the numerous commemorative sites gathering candels, flowers and all sorts of writing and design tools. On Sunday before working I was there too. It is on the 11th that I decided to apply my technique in the middle of the crowd, normally journalist shoot their photos using a high speed and a wide angle lens. Here the challenge was to try fix  this historical moment with panoramic photos. Here distorsion is not the subject. How could I be creative and simultaneously report that day? that was the question. I was not in the march due to my work.

email : denoronhapanoramic@gmail.com