Monthly Archive for March, 2009

Brigitte et Bernard

I’d like to introduce you to my parents Brigitte and Bernard; exceptional , yet anonymous

They aren’t exceptional in the sense that we hear about them in our society, but in the the values that they have infused in me: humanism, integrity, generosity, and courtesy.

On advice of Magnum Photos photographer David Alan Harvey, I started to photograph them: “I am thinking your parents to be perhaps the best of your two choices (other choice teenage friend)…first of all, photographing your parents cannot wait til later……you cannot take your parents for granted…..you should photograph them now…now is all we have… you can find another teenager, but you cannot find other parents…if your parents will let you really dig in and work, then i would say go with them for your essay….you have nothing to lose by trying….and the worst you will have is a nice family document…the best you can have will be a beautiful personal essay.”

My mother and my father don’t understand my interest in photographing them eating, sleeping or simply setting the table. Recently my Father fell ill, old age catching up with him. I love my parents. I love photographing them. My photographs aren’t about social issues. They are a work of love. But isn’t the act of love an underground fight for change?

translation : Erica McDonald

Photographs: Audrey Bardou
Website: www.audreybardou.eu

Marilyn and I

“Marilyn and I” is a tribute to Marilyn Monroe and her fans. It started in 2005 when I got access to an authentic summer dress from the personal wardrobe of Marilyn Monroe. It became an essential element of my project. With the dress folded in my backpack I went to photograph men and women of all ages and social backgrounds who share at least one thing in common – a strong personal attachment to Marilyn Monroe. I wanted to know what kind of relation Marilyn Monroe’s admirers have with her image today. Why the myth of Marilyn does goes on?

For all those people who became my models, the encounter with the dress which touched the body of their idol was very emotional. With my camera I tried to capture that emotion. The dress served a material evidence of the passed existence of Marilyn. It was a moment when the real met the imaginary because for most of them Marilyn existed only in photographs, movies and of course in their imagination. And for me, the dress was a pretext for doing something I enjoy most in my profession – photographing people.

(The title slide depicts the photo of the dress wrapped in a protective pH neutral paper.)

Photographs: Yury Toroptsov
Website: www.toroptsov.com

Chronicles of an Israeli Reservist

In Israel, a large part of the male population is brought together periodically for a return to military service that contrasts dramatically from their day to day activities. Released after three years of regular service, some Israeli soldiers begin (at the age of 21 – or older for officers,) a civilian life that is interrupted by periods of reserve military duty – in Hebrew – Miluim.

Military reserve duty offers a privileged opportunity to observe a microcosm of Israeli society. Reserve units bring together men of different ages and from various walks of life. They are comprised of young students, fathers, cooks, lawyers, drivers and teachers. When on duty, reservists leave their normal life – their family, friends or a promising first date. On their return, they face financial problems, angry clients or an academic year compromised by thirty days of an involuntary break.

Israeli reservists are rightists and leftists, supporters of a tough security policy or of a unilateral dismantling of the settlements. They are, above all, civilians who become soldiers for a period of a few weeks during which they carry out missions as basic as simple patrols or as complex as combat operations when their lives might be at risk.

These periods of forced intimacy – Miluim – are catalysts of strong friendships or disagreements, stormy political debates and interesting conversations that step beyond the social or geographical borders which ordinarily connect one to homogeneous relationships. For many men, these intense dialogs soften the harsh reality of  their service. They are, for numerous reservists, the reason why they are ready once again to wear their uniform. As one of them once stated: “After all, and with all due respect to ideology, when it’s time to fight, the only thing holding you from running in the other direction is the guy next you.”

Photographs: Michael Hassoun
Website: http://photomh.com/

I’m one of those Americans

A garage sale is the sale of miscellaneous household goods, often held in the garage or front yard of someone’s house.

“My good friend David McGowan has been working on a very personal photo essay since last summer. He’s been documenting garage sale culture in West Michigan as the economy continues to decline and people reevaluate what they truly need and what has to be sold. What’s surprising is that as bad as things seemed only six months ago, the bad news has only gotten worse and there isn’t a whole lot of hope that things will improve. At least not for a while. People like to say that when the country gets a cold, Michigan gets pneumonia, and that certainly holds true these days. Things are bad in the rest of the country and even worse in Michigan.

I’m One Of Those Americans is respectful and honest and taps into our collective anxiety and resignation. What’s unnerving is that in this story, I fear we’re only at Chapter One and that the rest of the story is going to get a whole lot darker.”

Brian Widdis
Detroit, MI

Photographs: David McGowan
Website: www.humanfiles.com