 |
| by Simon P. Laurent |
How do you describe your work?
Photography, film, for me it is like breathing, like a heartbeat. There are many ways to become emancipated, to distance oneself from reality with imagination. In fact, I do not think the purpose of art is to reproduce reality. When we see the world though a different lens, it helps us understanding the space we live in, and allows us see things from a different perspective. There are many ways to speak about the world. The most important thing is to move the reality. It's the same with art. As an artist, I try to explore the boundaries between painting, photography, and graphic design. Not unlike the ebb and flow of the sea, I oscillate between representations (but I try to go beyond, to create my own world with my own codes) and abstractions. My strong desire to leave the beaten path associated with non format aesthetics leads me towards having a very experimental vision of photography and art. First of all, I would like to say that flaws are part of the process and to my own aesthetic. Several of my pictures can be seen alternatively as paintings or photographs. Some images are shown without treatment; other works movies and photography (digital or film) can be reworked and enhanced. I would like to add that new technology has never been an ultimate aim. It is just a tool to achieve what has to be accomplished. Digital technology is here to investigate. It modifies our perception of things and our environment: I can play with clear-cut representation.
 |
| by Simon P. Laurent |
The fruit of research, of a real exploration of territories, can be seen
in some of my works, the result is an artifact of that technical process: a
glitch. My work is not about autobiographical logic, although a few works do
represent what I actually saw, I prefer to remember the things for myself. What
really matters is what I feel, what I think, not necessarily, the way things
happened. There is no distinction between my feelings and my art. There is a
real mise en scene – en oeuvre – of the nature, of the environment, and barely
nothing can come between evocation and suggestion, devoid of characters. I enjoy
the challenge of creating emotions in this form; some of my works are often
based on nothingness and can illustrate this word as void, an absence. The work
is about loneliness; quite moments, shapes, volumes, illusions, and some of the
abstractions are the sole projection of my subconscious. At first sight, my
works are reflective; however, like steps of life, in an evolving world, they
are based on series of events and facts in which we can all relate. Most of us
will be confronted with it one day or another. Dark, but also radiant, the
works have a bittersweet taste.
About the work presented here
In 2012 Lorenzo Diez, director of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture of Nancy, personally contacted me and commissioned me to shoot some special interior and exterior photos of this particular school. The school itself architecturally, is a special place and beyond its facade, it has great poetic strength. The aim of this project is to present the building in its entirety. My personal research and investigations on this topic led me to discover the beauty of its poetry. One that does not exist at first glance, but dwells somewhere between suggestion, perception, construction and reconstruction. Somewhere between the work of Mexican architect Luis Barragan and the School's architect Livio Vacchini. The poetry and beauty of this building came to life not only in color but also black and white, as seen through my lens.
What will you be working on in the month of March?
Will work on some ecological works; Probable Future Global Catastrophes. It's a personal project.
Who would you say are your biggest supporters?
Well other artists and art lovers - I won't name them, they will recognize themselves - because we all share the same struggle, and we all have the same lust for art.
What living artist (besides yourself) would you consider “amazing” right now?
Well it's hard to say, and I'm not sure of my answer because that would be a kind of ranking, and I don't like that. But for sure, what we need is groundbreaking artists, rather than artists who don't take risks (message, form) - Also I don't like artists who work for the establishment; but to answer your question, well, I really like Peter Doig; Gregory Crewdson (not everything) Also, David Lynch and Lou Reed: they express themselves in many fields of art.
About the work presented here
In 2012 Lorenzo Diez, director of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture of Nancy, personally contacted me and commissioned me to shoot some special interior and exterior photos of this particular school. The school itself architecturally, is a special place and beyond its facade, it has great poetic strength. The aim of this project is to present the building in its entirety. My personal research and investigations on this topic led me to discover the beauty of its poetry. One that does not exist at first glance, but dwells somewhere between suggestion, perception, construction and reconstruction. Somewhere between the work of Mexican architect Luis Barragan and the School's architect Livio Vacchini. The poetry and beauty of this building came to life not only in color but also black and white, as seen through my lens.
What will you be working on in the month of March?
Will work on some ecological works; Probable Future Global Catastrophes. It's a personal project.
Who would you say are your biggest supporters?
Well other artists and art lovers - I won't name them, they will recognize themselves - because we all share the same struggle, and we all have the same lust for art.
What living artist (besides yourself) would you consider “amazing” right now?
Well it's hard to say, and I'm not sure of my answer because that would be a kind of ranking, and I don't like that. But for sure, what we need is groundbreaking artists, rather than artists who don't take risks (message, form) - Also I don't like artists who work for the establishment; but to answer your question, well, I really like Peter Doig; Gregory Crewdson (not everything) Also, David Lynch and Lou Reed: they express themselves in many fields of art.
 |
| by Simon P. Laurent |
What was that last book you read, and what did you think of it?
A couples of weeks ago I read a French book called " Les Lisières " by Oliver Adam. Loved it. Something quite heavy and dark to read; A portrait of France without or little concessions with in the background a philosophical conflict between what we want and what we can do with our lives. How our own limits can be pushed. That's the way the novel - because it's a novel - can be read and analyzed. Lot of good things on social classes. Loved also that mirror device of the book. Interesting - because I'm an artist - when writers talk about themselves, and to a certain extent about artists. Lots of things we “artists” can relate to. Then I needed to read something which was supposed to be very soft, "My Dog Stupid" by John Fante. Loved it too ... But I think there's kind of a misunderstanding with the way the book was reviewed in France. Racism's not light, but the opposite. To a certain extent, well, we can make the same reviews with Carver. One could say he portrays everyday life & little things. But domestic violence is a big problem, not a little thing. Kind of confusing... Right now, I am reading Elias Canetti's Auto Da Fe (among other books, because I read two or three books at the same time).
What was your favorite purchase in the last 30 days? Why?
Some books (Sarah Hall's Beautiful Indifference, Keith Scriber's Oregon Experiment) Why ? I think it's very good food the mind. :) At least, they won't kill you, but make you think which is a good thing - that goes without saying.
What was that last book you read, and what did you think of it?
A couples of weeks ago I read a French book called " Les Lisières " by Oliver Adam. Loved it. Something quite heavy and dark to read; A portrait of France without or little concessions with in the background a philosophical conflict between what we want and what we can do with our lives. How our own limits can be pushed. That's the way the novel - because it's a novel - can be read and analyzed. Lot of good things on social classes. Loved also that mirror device of the book. Interesting - because I'm an artist - when writers talk about themselves, and to a certain extent about artists. Lots of things we “artists” can relate to. Then I needed to read something which was supposed to be very soft, "My Dog Stupid" by John Fante. Loved it too ... But I think there's kind of a misunderstanding with the way the book was reviewed in France. Racism's not light, but the opposite. To a certain extent, well, we can make the same reviews with Carver. One could say he portrays everyday life & little things. But domestic violence is a big problem, not a little thing. Kind of confusing... Right now, I am reading Elias Canetti's Auto Da Fe (among other books, because I read two or three books at the same time).
What was your favorite purchase in the last 30 days? Why?
Some books (Sarah Hall's Beautiful Indifference, Keith Scriber's Oregon Experiment) Why ? I think it's very good food the mind. :) At least, they won't kill you, but make you think which is a good thing - that goes without saying.
No comments:
Post a Comment