Since 2007, I have been working on a photographic series focusing on the theme of the new animism of our urbanity entitled “Archanges urbains″; it is the staging of youth icons in urban settings. These icons are associated width today’s economic, historical and cultural reality. Panoramas of cities that I photograph correspond to places where the urban environment takes over humans. The solution to resist and hope rests perhaps in the divine.
There is no dominant religion, which is why I chose the path of animism symbolized by these girls. They are neither goddesses nor objects of worship, but a vision of hope that we can find within each of us. This vision of hope is thrown into the urban material world that affects us. This is another way to view the city.
The solution to stand up and hope rests in the divine. I have chosen the animism symbolized by young girls, because there is no religion stronger than another one. These frail teenagers are not goddesses or religious objects, but a concept of hope in the deepness of our mind. Will we be strong enough to throw out this hope in the middle of this carnivorous urbanity? It’s a new way to look at the city. I envision a particular place in each city panorama in which to pose each respective archangel. After, each panorama, I shoot in the studio I recreate the place in which the archangel should be installed into the background using props and lighting to make everything as natural as possible.
