« Janus et Rébus sont sur la banquise» a creative turning point.

As I already said since September I am in a creative period. My colleagues from the A.A.B. who organized an exhibition about the COP 21 objectives were lacking material to show. I decided to think about what I could do to support their initiative. I began by conceiving a photo with the material of « La Géode en Folie» and produced an enigmatic composition that illustrated the title « Janus and Rébus are on the bank-ice ». Very pleased with my inventive composition I sent it by email expecting an enthusiastic response. « I don't understand. » was the answer. So, I was obliged to provide an explanation. I found that very comical and instructive. I changed slightly the composition, add an explanation and decided to present the result, called Mea Culpa, in the exhibition.

But I needed to present something. The idea to use the collection of the COP 21 posters (see my previous post) came up. As I had no intention to glue my posters in the streets of Paris like street artists do with their work (they do that at night away from the police), I imagine to use Photoshop to include the posters in photos from Parisian streets. The A.A.B. being at the origin of this idea, the first photo presented is the outside wall of the association with some of my posters.

On the other hand, the objective of this exhibition linked with the COP 21 conference was to start thinking ecological in our artistic fields. Therefore, the participants had to provide a detailed label describing the material used in the exhibited works. So, I tried to find an ecological way to present my numerical images. My surprise was complete to state that after several hours on the web searching for a green printing solution, there was in fact no simple solution available at my level in Paris in 2015. There are only few companies offering « Green » printing solutions, and generally available only for companies or industrial quantities, which was not the case for me. For photographers you can choose the more expensive papers made out with plant fibres like cotton or bamboo for instance. Then, you can eventually choose a printing company that will respect a green chart for the treatment of their wastes but there was no photographic laboratory claiming a really green attachment in the list. Of course I looked to the inks and other chemical products used in photography, the results were similar. The conclusion was clear: There is today no possibility to be a 100% green photographer at my scale. One can choose subjects related with this field, but finally the printing of the images or their distribution will demand energy and non-ecological products that will affect environment. So symbolically I decided to present my images with laser prints using recycled paper and not photographic paper. I will show two images sized 30x40cm and a panel of 60x90 cm composed with glued images because there is no other printing possibilities. Of course the quality of the image is deteriorated, but it is the only way I found to be green. So for the future if we want to preserve climate we will have to make compromises with our standards of living and our criteria of

judgement on photography. As long as technology and the industry will not provide a new solution, we will have to change our behaviours. Presently, almost no photographer is ready to follow this way, we are trapped.

« 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.

As we say: A bad news never comes alone….

After the previous project I remained no active regarding photography.  As I had participated in an exhibition in October last year,  I planned to reproduce the same initiative this year. 

 A relaxing French landscape along a lake.

That show was interesting  for me as it took place near the Invalides in a part of Paris where I am usually not represented.  Last year we were many amateurs and only few galleries participated in the event. It was organized by an independent photographer and consultant.

I eared that it would take place again in 2015, but it was difficult to subscribe to it. In fact everything had changed: the name of the event, the duration, the organization and the price. Mid July I finally managed to obtain the subscription form and send my participation fee. End August without no news, I sent two emails to confirm the acceptance of my participation.

As a reply I received a gentle text explaining that they had chosen a theme for this year (the body) and that after having looked at my work, they considered that it would be better for my health not to be accepted. My work was not in relation to the theme and of course I would have been very troubled among the other photographer, I even think there might have been a risk for a heart attack! So they would send me back my check.

Of course they never paid for the stamp..., and I still wait for the check.  For the information of the reader, there was nothing in July in the form stipulating the theme. When they received my appliance they did not bother to reply and specify that there were conditions to participate. The only possibilities to see my work are a personal meeting, the booth at La Bastille when I go there, some exhibitions and of course the present blog.

The fact that I might have photos beside related to the objective never occurred to them. The deciders are mature enough to have omniscience and answer any question with their own means without consulting the authors, I suppose. The new organization is a company specialized in communication, they are so good that on the Web the event was almost not promoted….

Another landscape from the same site.

This could just be a comical fact, but in reality it is dramatic because this event was affordable for photographers like me, and initiatives like these are counted on one hand and are disappearing in Paris. I exhibited some photos with the Cercle des Artistes de Paris in Vincennes in 2014 and 2015, but here they will also change in 2016 the system of renting the hall, it will be controlled by a private company.

As a result the present fee of about 200 € for four photos for me  will not be able to remain at this level and the owners of the event are not sure to be able to renew it in 2016. Another comparable event that takes place in Place Saint Sulpice in June is not sure to be renewed next year as the town hall has other projects. I also followed some exhibitions organized by Gallerie #1, and their prices were very correct, they to have increased their conditions and fees.

Photo taken by Karen from G#1 , Business Art Show 2014 Paris October.

 So the accumulation of the three following trends ( the negative evolution of the Parisian market, the behaviour of public authorities and certain associations and the means of the Parisian photographic galleries) will lead to the impossibility to exhibit in Paris at affordable prices. As an artist either you break the law and invade the street and other public spaces without authorization at your own risk or you enter an artist or photographic associations to multiply the possibilities to collaborate in collective or single exhibitions.

I am aged 55, have grey hair and some weight, so guess which choice I have done…. ?

I entered an association of artists, the A.A.B., Ateliers d’Artistes de Belleville (Belleville Artists’ Workshops association).  Is it an art or civilian choice?

My conviction is that if the art Parisian market  remains as it is today, art associations will sooner or later suffer from the same problem: a lack of means and many will cease their activity.

So finally our future, fantastic and business-organized society  will transform the status of the artist into the one of a potentially public outlaw, and any budding artist  will have to be a Street Artist, a stealer of public open spaces,  before obtaining recognition. Of course, if you have money that world is welcome to you and without talent you will be with no difficulty recognize as an artist. But once ruined or without financial support the street will become also your location.

I know I am a permanent pessimist…Wait and see…3 to 5 years and we will discuss this subject again.