Series of computer generated images, C-Prints, 66 X 99 cm At first, Bonneville was a Borgesian fantasy. I was trying to imagine a representation that would be just as big and as concrete as its referent. More specifically, I envisioned the idea of a memory that would vie with reality in materiality. What if an old man who wants to look back to his past, instead of writing his memoirs, tried to reenact his entire chilhood ? And what if someone who wants to represent his hometown from memory, instead of contenting himself with drawings or small scale models, decided to make it as big and solid as his hometown itself ? Of course, this was just a fantasy, I never planed to make it real. But it inspired the video Bonneville and, later, a series of computer generated images called Stage. These images show the various locations already seen in the video. They also use the same characteristic aesthetic : A nonchalant drawing where blank surfaces are outlined with some thick black lines. But this time the drawn objects are shaded and thus they seem solid. The graveyard, the school, the courtyard... appear to be parts of a vast black and white movie set. Indeed, some areas that, in the video, were not in shot are now visible : these are boardings, backcloths, wooden platforms and stairs, technical equipment... This fake revelation of what was supposed to be, at first, "off camera" maliciously lead to the wrong conclusion that video was shot in this movie set. I don't intend to fool the viewer and it is obvious that the video was in fact made without camera. My goal is rather to suggest the idea that memory itself is somehow staged. When thinking about his past, one like to think that his memories are a faithful reflection of his life story. But what assure us that our very intimate memories are more than just lies we tell to ourselves ? It seems to me that memories are not recordings but afterthoughts, a tale we constantly and revise and polish throughout the years. Stage can be seen as an illustration of this suspicion.Back to top |