| | | | | | | | | installation view Vincent Fournier, Space Project © CDI / Christof Weber 2016 | | | | | CLERVAUX - CITÉ DE L'IMAGE | | | |
| The project "Clervaux – cité de l’image" was launched in 2009 in response to presence of the exhibition "The Family of Man", which was conceived by Edward Steichen in 1955 and is now to be found at Clervaux Castle. Clervaux – cité de l’image is dedicated to contemporary photography, showcasing it in the public sphere. | | | Photographic season 2017 - 2018 | | | | CONTES D'IMAGES | | | | | | | The works that form this specific season wish to open a diversified discourse on storytelling in images. The theme holds imaginary potential rooted in the real world to make the most of its incredible capacity - namely to be able to reinvent itself continuously and untiringly. The image, dissociated from all rational and predefined logic, contains therefore several realities and reveals itself to be reconciling by encouraging towards a work that is individual and subjective. It rules out classification in order to celebrate ambivalent difference. The author initiates the discourse, leaving the observer to take over by association. Here several worlds converge: documentation meets fiction, memories and emotions complement each other through philosophical thought, the illustration aligns itself with surrealist thought, the tribute to science identifies itself as a poetic quotation and literary reference, each time claiming an autonomous ingenuity. In this context, any suspected subversion develops into a positive force that is constructive rather than deconstructive. This season, you need more than to contemplate to be able to see, as photography requires a good ear. And is has a lot to tell. | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | © Vincent Fournier / Space Project - Moon Valley, Atacama desert, Lunar Robotic Research (Nasa), Chile, 2007 | | | | | | | until 29 September 2017 | | | Dreams and visions are a fleeting product of our brain and yet they require a projection surface outside the conceptual world. What could be better suited to this than the vastness of space?
Space has thrilled and fascinated mankind since time immemorial. Man's yearning to conquer this abstract concept in all its dimensions - terrestrial, aerial, planetary and celestial - is a reflection of a constantly evolving existential quest. Voyages of discovery date back to protohistoric times and tell of a love of adventure and challenge, of failure, loss and of course success. Space research is seemingly endless, the dual meaning of the word "space" being pivotal. While the early modern period saw the exploration of the world captured on paper in wondrous hand-drawn sketches, today's world focuses on mathematical equations and abstract theories.
Drones and satellites provide data that is subsequently analysed. Contemporary space exploration has assumed complex dimensions that are much more abstract than the original concepts. | | | | | | | | | | Installation view "Space projects" by Vincent Fournier © Clervaux - Cité de l’Image, (Photo: Christof Weber) | | | | | | In his work "Space Project", Vincent Fournier captures the authentic setting of this field of research, its technical resources and the monumental expenditure involved. The photographer's interest, however, focuses less on scientific curiosity than a hidden narrative element. Starting from an actual real context, he pushes his project towards the realm of fiction. The photography is not subject to a factual and contextual order, but rather a subjective and narrative development. Objective documentation alternates with shots that are staged. Under the direction of Fournier, the technological dream once again comes alive, the real space turning into the resonance body for human visions and stories. (Text by A. Meyer, English translation by C. Weyland)
More information: www.vincentfournier.co.uk/ | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sacred Bird - Umbrellas II © Janne Lehtinen | | | | | | | until 18 September 2017 | | | In his images, Finnish photographer Janne Lehtinen captures the individual and human aspiration of continuously wanting to push one's boundaries. "Sacred Bird" showcases various flight contraptions designed by the author himself.
The images convey a sense of creative freedom and possess a subtle humour; even so, the photographic sequences may appear strange, occasionally absurd. For all their poetic winsomeness, the contraptions seem anachronistic and fragile and will never fulfil the dream of taking to the skies? | | | | | | | | | | Installation view (detail) "Sacred Bird" by Janne Lehtinen © CDI | | | | | | The fanciful setting is further accentuated by its insertion into a vast, sober and realistic environment, namely that of the Nordic landscape, which unequivocally evokes the history of art and the tradition of 18th-century Romantic painting. The scenery thus lends a new dimension to the work. The portrayal of the solitary man facing the isolation and emptiness of a monumental and infinite landscape evokes foremost a sense of despair, before thoughts return to its author, ultimately reinforcing him in his existence and individuality.
It is thus not failure that feeds the cliché of the ill-fated artist (man), but rather his passivity. Unlived dreams fade from memory, while ideas that have been realised are transmitted into images and stories. (Text by A. Meyer, English translation by C. Weyland)
More information: gallerytaikpersons.com/ | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | © Corinne Mercadier, Une fois et pas plus - Courtesy Galerie Les filles du calvaire, Paris | | | | | | | until 29 September 2017 | | | "Once time only" is a metaphor of the finiteness of all things and living creatures. Corinne Mercadier expresses what is a categorical fact, the universally acknowledged inescapable principle of life: the beginning of every story inexorably leads to its end.
Disregarding its ontological and slightly oppressive reality, the photographic series comes across as subtle, ambiguous, joyful and dreamlike. The figurative motifs recount the mythical tales of the wind, this mystifying and unbridled phenomenon that eludes the eye, time and gravity. Here the wind is attired in human clothing, wrapped in a delicate light envelope tailor-made by the photographer. | | | | | | | | | | Installation view "Une fois et pas plus" by Corinne Mercadier © Clervaux - Cité de l’Image (Photo: Christof Weber) | | | | | | For an ephemeral and magical instant, this garment provides a body to the shapeless element. With its new silhouette, the wind transforms into a player and a hunter in its encounters with human beings. The momentum of its flight encompasses everything: euphoria, magic, mystery, dreams, adventure, desire, energy, strength and much more. Its complicity with anonymous individuals is sketchy and fleeting, its appearance a one-off, its disappearance forever. (Text by A. Meyer, English translation by C. Weyland)
More Information:
www.corinnemercadier.com
www.fillesducalvaire.com | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | L’Ovomachiniste, 214 - Voyages extraordinaires © Christian Tagliavini | | | | | | | until 29 September 2017 | | | "Extraordinary Voyages" by Christian Tagliavini is a photographic work that transports the observer into the world of literature, a world in which images adopt a distinct 19th-century aesthetic and evoke an almost cinematographic language. The work's title is both tribute and citation: it refers to the eponymous collection of 54 works penned by French writer Jules Verne.
The photographs, composed according to visual art rules, divulge a third passion of their author, namely that of exploring the genre of the portrait in all its multiple facets. Drawing on Verne's three novels "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth", "From The Earth To The Moon" and "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea", the photographer further develops the stories by creating characters that did not appear in the original narratives. | | | | | | | | | | Installation view "Voyages extraordinaires" by Christian Tagliavini © Clervaux - Cité de l’Image, (Photo: Christof Weber) | | | | | | These imaginary characters – passengers on the aforementioned voyages – are portrayed with great finesse. The images are striking in their detail, the invented heroes assume an identity befitting their title, their costumes and their accessories, reminiscent of the iconographic attributes found in classical painting.
The decor acts like as a sober setting and yet it is not indifferent, since it contains certain clues linking each photograph to one of Verne's novels. The pictorial elements may be reduced in number, but they are effective in their expression. The universe of Christian Tagliavini recaptures the suspense, the mysterious atmosphere and the explicit and punctilious style of Jules Verne.
The photographic work falls somewhere between transmedial narration and literary citation. The individual characters pose before the camera, submerging into their roles and settings and ultimately giving rise to a new story. (Text by A. Meyer, English translation by C. Weyland)
More Information: www.christiantagliavini.com | | | | | | | | unsubscribe here
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