From October 21st to January 7th, 2024, for its 14th edition, 25 international photographers, both established and emerging, can be discovered in an open-air exhibition tour throughout the city, on the beach, and indoors at Point de Vue and Les Franciscaines.
The aim of Planches Contact is to support creation through a residency program based in Deauville. Serving as the starting point for an exploration of the identity of the region, as well as the personal research and questions of the photographers related to the environment, all set against the backdrop and fields of investigation of Normandy, from Dieppe to Mont-Saint-Michel, from the coast to the inland areas. This year, the invited artists were encouraged to seek new ways of looking at and representing reality.
A Festival-Laboratory
From February to June, the successive residencies hosted about twenty artists. This approach promotes a unique experience of exchange among photographers from diverse backgrounds and profiles, guided by the festival team throughout their projects. This unusual way of working for photographers fosters constant confrontation and dialogue, contributing to this “laboratory” spirit where research is ongoing, from project conception to presentation.
As a true cultural endeavor, Planches Contact continues to expand its horizons by encouraging hybridization, interdisciplinary exchanges, and partnerships with other festivals following the same approach. The spirit of research is even more pronounced this year, with artists representing a new scene that challenges codes and conventions. They consider local resources and environmental issues, using construction materials, recycling, and new mediums to convey their projects. The choice of materials and staging are integral to the intent of the artworks.
A New Romanticism
The state of the planet has brought new attention to nature, and among artists, a particular trend to observe and rediscover the landscape has emerged. Far from traditional photojournalism and dramatic portrayals of distant lands, there is a process of reevaluating beauty in the simplicity of the everyday.
Working in and on Normandy, in residence on the shores of the English Channel, undoubtedly plays an accelerating role. A constant reminder of the beauty, fragility, and power of nature underlies the approach of all the invited authors and resonates with a desire to protect them. However, a shadow occasionally darkens the reflection of the artists amid the enchantment of the landscape. But the gaze here cannot be jaded, and in the face of the northern light, the movements of the sky and tides, the wonder is continuous and expressed in a new romanticism.
We thank all the artists who accepted our invitation, trusting us with this “no safety net” festival, with all the risks of a program built on the creation and presentation of original projects. Each one of them opens the doors to their world, revisiting history, questioning the present, merging languages and eras, and showing us the invisible.
Invited Projects
- Robert Doisneau & Malick Sidibé
- Richard Pak
- The Anonymous Project
- Olivier Goy
Photographers Invited for Creative Residency
- Jacopo Benassi
- Luca Boffi
- Elina Brotherus
- Olivier Culmann
- Omar Victor Diop
- Max Pam
- Salvatore Puglia
- Margot Wallard
- Matt Wilson
- Jean-François Spricigo
Guests in Residence, with the photo4food foundation
- Carline Bourdelas
- Benjamin Decoin
- Thomas Jorion
- Sandra Matamoros
- Julien Mignot
Young Talent Photographers
- Ousmane Goïta
- Julia Lê
- Carlo Lombardi
- Isabelle Scotta
- Sidonie Van Den Dries
Planches Contact Festival 2024
A festival throughout the city of Deauville
From October 21, 2023, to January 7, 2024
Website: www.planchescontact.fr
Facebook
Instagram
Information
Planches Contact
Deauville, France
October 21, 2023 to January 07, 2024
