MISLEADING APPEARANCES, photo series, 2017-22
Misleading Appearance is, at the same time the pendant and the opposite from the series Simulacra. While theSimulacra give to see skies like landscapes or astronomical objects, Misleading Appearance give to see surfaces like landscapes or astronomical objects.
Within the same form, the imaginary is superimposed on the real, thus creating a double reading of photography and revealing a bridge between the tiny (the details present on these surfaces) and the gigantic (these landscapes and astronomical objects).
These surfaces have the particularity of being beautiful and of having been exposed to various treatments by the action of man.(sanding, painting, stains, etc.) or/and nature (mold, dust, erosion, etc.). They are always photographed in such a way as to false our perception: at night, with unusual lighting, angle of view, aspect ratio and color.
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Title: Moon by Lamp
Series: The misleading appearances
Year: 2017
Dimensions : 20 x 30 to 40 x 60 cm
Technique: photography
Limited edition of 20 copies
Thanks to a few photographic subterfuges, a waxed concrete floor takes on the appearance of the Moon. the staging device is partially visible: a lamp, on and provided with a reflector bowl, draw a circle of light on this ground, immersed in the night.
Title : Brown dwarf
Series: The misleading appearances
Year: 2021
Dimensions : 20 x 30 to 100 x 150 cm
Technique: photography
Edition limited to 20 copies
This photo refers to the images we know of small dark stars: brown dwarfs.
I made this photo from an element at the antipodes of the sun: an exterior concrete ceiling. Micro cracks, chips, stains of paint and dirt animate this concrete, giving it an unusual appearance. The staging reveals what I saw while observing this ceiling. The yellow and orange are due to scene lighting (spotlight) and color balance in Photoshop. The circular shape results from the shadow of an undersized lens mounted on the camera.
Title: Protoplanet
Series: The misleading appearances
Year: 2020
Dimensions : 20 x 30 to 100 x 150 cm
Technique: photography
Edition limited to 20 copies
I photographed a pumpkin like a sketch of a planet (a protoplanet), studded with craters.
The holes are rotting areas: I removed most of the mold by washing and sanding. I then lit this vegetable so as to recall the way in which the stars are lit by the Sun.
Title: Luna with a black cutout
Series: The misleading appearances
Year: 2017
Dimensions : 20 x 30 to 50 x 75 cm
Technique: photography
Limited edition of 20 copies
Thanks to a few photographic subterfuges, a waxed concrete floor takes on the appearance of the Moon.
Craters are actually air bubbles stuck in concrete. Streaks result from sanding by a worker. Then it is the lighting, the magnification and the addition of a black cutout (on Photoshop) that allows us to see the Moon.
Title: Red giant
Series: The misleading appearances
Year: 2021
Dimensions : 20 x 30 to 100 x 150 cm
Technique: photography
Edition limited to 20 copies
This photo refers to the images we know of the Sun, yellow stars or red giants.
I made this photo from an element at the antipodes of the sun: an exterior concrete ceiling. Micro cracks, chips, moisture stains and scratches enliven this concrete, giving it an unusual appearance. The staging reveals what I saw while observing this ceiling. The yellow and orange are due to the scene lighting (spotlight) and the orange filter (Photoshop filter). The circular shape results from the shadow of an undersized lens mounted on the camera.
Title: Icy planet
Series: The misleading appearances
Year: 2021
Dimensions : 20 x 30 to 100 x 150 cm
Technique: photography
Edition limited to 20 copies
Thanks to a few tricks, a ceiling (strewn with splashes of paint, cracks, scratches and dirt) takes on the appearance of an icy planet. To make this photo, I looked for a ceiling with particular stains and roughness. Then, I projected on this ceiling a violent lighting. Then, to create a circular cutout, I chose a lens that was smaller than the camera sensor. A telephoto lens to create a magnification effect. Finally, I mounted a blue-green filter on the lens. From a distance, we perceive a cold telluric planet. Up close, the details remind us of reality: a concrete or stone surface.