27th of November, National Memorial Day for the events since the 13th of November and their victims.

Today, we were invited to present our national flag at the window to share this homage united. My window is my blog. In the last 15 days I have followed the different Parisian sites involved in the events. 

Rue Bichat, Bullit in the window of the Carillon restaurant.

The 130 deads and the 300 injured  came from 25 countries, average age of 30-35. They were spending time in restaurants, bars, a stadium and a rock concert. For certain terrorists Friday, is a day to pray, and to illustrate their choice of living they acted to force us to follow them. France has a history, and with Voltaire has chosen to resist to religion to support freedom for the citizen. For that reason France became politically symbolic and this explains the choice of Paris. For this same reason there is no point in trying to make a difference between « Je suis Charlie » and « Pray for Paris » events. The two terrorist attempts find their origin in the same ideology. 

Rue Fontaine au Roi, the pub.

The press has focused on the western way of life as being the objective of the terrorists. But we should not forget that the restaurant Comptoir Voltaire is located at the opposite side of the ward, they were not obliged to drive so far to find people drinking or eating outside. The Bataclan stays at the crossing of Boulevard Richard Lenoir and Boulevard Voltaire.
The name « Bataclan » finds its origin in a musical work (a « Chinoiserie », a comical fantasia of Jacques Offenbach). Offenbach father came from Germany and was Jewish. The restaurant La Belle Equipe is located, rue de Charonne, a place where the Jewish community is present. In Wikipedia they mention that the owners of the hall are Jewish, today it belongs to the group Bolloré, and I have no idea of the religion of the owner.

Proud to be Parisian, Rue Fontaine au Roi, the pub. 

Many journalists reported that the victims were the people of France and sometimes used the term « popular ». In the history of France the term Popular evokes the working classes of the crafts and industry. Living in the same place as the victims and after having looked to their profession, it would be more accurate to speak of the Parisian Bobo class, mostly they were employed, many worked in relation with arts and culture, and they came from different countries and religion. Many people came to Paris to build their professional life or have a good time. The places involved in the events were ‘In’ sites. I live just nearby, but my financial situation does not allow me to be out. This « Bobo » generation, is not always conscious that in their behaviour they are communal, they privileged technology, youth and the urban way of life. The people of the suburbs and the teens or seniors were not very present. This « Bobo » generation is the future of Paris.

A muslin women in a group of 8 sharing our emotion. In front of the Bataclan.

-       Having spent much time making photos I must add the following comments:
- After the Charlie’s events it was sometimes said among the Muslim community that what had happened was logical after the caricatures. This time, if the terrorists expected to create a splitting in the Muslim community they missed, on the contrary their testimonies were very present.

Indian family in front of the Bataclan.

- For the first time the Asiatic community was very present because the two restaurants were involved: Le petit Cambodge and a sushi restaurant. Many Buddhist testimonies were present.
- In the first days Paris and the Eiffel Tower were chosen as symbols for the event, and few flags were present, two weeks after flags or the use of the three national colours in the drawings are everywhere. I do not know how to interpret this change. Is it the expression of a rebirth of nationalism or the expression of a national unity?

A couple sharing their emotion at Place de la République.

 
- We should have a profound reflection about the impact of smartphones in our ordinary life. Why are these tools so present in such emotional and personal situations. Are we able to really directly feel the things, why are we obliged to take « souvenirs » at any moment for every purpose. The smart phones have found a unique role in our behaviours, they have changed our direct relation to emotion and memory.

- Today certain people consider they should not change their way of living.  I am not sure it should be the right reaction. We French and western people, have to conduct a major analyse to understand why certain of our young people have chosen this mortal way. The present western model focusing on an individual urban materialism, on communal approaches due to the technology, privileging youth when expectation of life increases, the individual interest against the state organisations excluding the intermediates. We have a lot to do !

All these elements explain why the impact was so strong in France and especially in the world. I wanted to share my feelings and thoughts with you. I have gathered many images and I am always looking for an editor because the use of panoramic photos in this case is uncommon.

Paris, Friday, 13th of November 2015: Dark Night.

Charlie's events were not forgotten. On the 15th October I was at the memorial site of Charlie Hebdo and walked all along the Boulevard Richard Lenoir, where the last and the only one place with  several testimonies remained.

I was surprised by that, and wondered : Have they forgotten, are they conscious of the situation we are involved in? Is my personnal commitment useless?

Photo from my Charlie's Days collection January 2015.



Today of course its different. Now it's time for sorrow. I am concerned: I live in Paris, in the 11th arrondissement. I obeyed the government order to stay home. It's 14H00 on Sunday the 15th, I'am going out for the fisrt time since...for a memorial walk again.

Au-Delà du Réel, « Outer Limits », the 10th of November. It's Finished.

 As I told this experience was new to me. Now the exhibition belongs to the past and the balance has been done. Globally the artists were pleased even if there was no sale or fewer new visitors than expected. I received a lot of acknowledgments from the artists, but as I wrote, I had certain objectives in mind in order to evaluate the possibilities of the gallery. 

Poster inspired by the american TV film "Outer Limits". The adventure begins here with the AAB instead of Continues in the original image.

But all this project offered me the opportunity to see from the inside many aspects of the artists and their behaviour, I ignored. Of course, there were both good and bad aspects of this experience, but the most important is that I have been able to identify how I can best contribute to the association. So for several months I will concentrate in collaborating on projects with my work for exhibitions managed by colleagues. Since September I am through a very creative period regarding photography and a new style in my photos came up. So why should I complain. 

 So if the public from the centre of Paris did not come to look my works what should I do? In France there is the following saying from a film « Le Bossu  » 1959: « If you don't get to Lagardere, Lagardere will come to you ». So now with Photoshop there is no limit to my wishes as you can see here above. In the photo I have presented the five works exhibited in the gallery from the AAB displayed in a major gallery of Place des Vosges. This photocomposition belongs to a group of photos called « Look at me! » or « How to have his works seen. » 

Now it's time for new adventures.

"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.