A farmhouse in the Cévennes
The photographs that make up the “Un mas en Cévennes” series were taken on the edge of the Gard Cévennes, in an isolated place, forgotten by tourist flows, on an ungrateful and mountainous land long devoted to agriculture. From valleys to valleys, from farmhouse to farmhouse, an aging population lives and survives, with unchanging daily life. The seasons impose their rhythm there, according to the Cevennes episodes which wash away the earth, soak the ground and soak the characters. The farmhouse in the Cévennes documented here saw David Deloustal grow up. An old family home, mysterious and magical for the child he was. There, he learned everything, the fire, the joy, the freedom of summers, the harshness of winters, the glory of springs. There he learned to observe, then to see and later to photograph. We don’t photograph the past, it’s a shame, time flies too quickly. The present which remains, as if on the fringes, inspires these pics. They are a testimony and draw up an inventory. No question is answered. They only question. That’s a lot already, that’s enough, and that’s fine.
David Deloustal
