These photos were taken at the Rivesaltes camp during the years of 2012 and 2013. They are voluntarily aesthetic, playing with the light, using framed views and rigorous perspectives. In no way do they seek to magnify the importance of the place.

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I would like these photographs to incite the viewer to question and reflect upon the meaning of these walls, as every stone is marked by the presence of those people who were detained in the camp.

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This photographic series is also pertinent in view of present day events, because whilst wandering through the camp of Rivesaltes, one cannot help but think about the current creation of detention centres for foreigners, and both the increasing discrimination experienced by certain populations and the rise of extremism in Europe.

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So, what have we learnt from these past events? Are we not still making the same mistakes?

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I wanted to enhance my photographic work with a soundscape, and invited the musician Bruno Fleutelot to join me. We began to question the physical links between still images, space and sound. The first result of our research is a short film.

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This "photographic film" is composed of still shots gradually disappearing in long crossfades. The images blend and intersect throughout a long and superimposed viewpoint, at a very slow, almost contemplative pace, and form a continuous narrative. These images are associated with a composition of ‘concrete’ sounds which support the initial and immediate subject matter. The music then introduces lines of ruptures and breaks. This leads to a new perception of the photographic series through a different perspective, and opens the door to everyone's imagination.

 

Michel Handschumacher

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(Traduction : Cathy Lodge)