Whenever I travel in France and am asked where do you live?, I start by saying ‘in the Vexin’. This usually elicits a surprised reaction, as if I’d mentioned something completely unknown.
So, more often than not, I have to clarify that this area is located in the Val d’Oise, in the Paris region. As a result, I immediately find myself labelled as a Parisian.
To which I protest, pointing out that I live in the countryside in a small town and not in Paris at all.
The French Vexin, so named to distinguish it from the neighbouring Norman Vexin, became a Regional Nature Park in 1995. Close to Paris yet with a strong rural identity, it has ever since sought to develop its own image.
It is gradually succeeding in this, aided by the initiatives of a dynamic local population.
Living and working in this charming region, it is common to come across many enterprising people. Inviting them to pose for my camera is a way of paying tribute to them and of trying, in my own modest way, to contribute to the growing reputation of this area and its inhabitants.
The portraits are taken in summer during sunset, amidst the agricultural landscapes that shape the character of the region. The choice of subjects is not part of a strategy aimed at creating a comprehensive and exhaustive visual record of the area’s dynamic population, but simply a personal preference for the people I have chosen, entirely at random, to feature in my book.
The same applies to the interludes that run through this book and accompany the portraits. It is entirely deliberate that you will not find the heritage landmarks of the French Vexin, such as castles, wash houses, dovecotes and other dungeon.
Only a St. Andrew’s cross has, unfortunately, found its way into the series. These interludes are an expression of a part again, deliberately non-exhaustive of the landscapes I love to observe, leaving all the tourist aspects to the guides whose vocation it is to cover them.
You will note and read with curiosity the introductory texts written by the people photographed. Each one opens up to a greater or lesser extent, as they see fit and within reasonable limits, to share with the reader a tiny fragment of their personal history and, incidentally, to explain the reason for their inclusion in this book.
All these works portraits, moments of rest and texts set side by side aim to offer a particular perspective on this unspoilt corner of the countryside, which remains a haven of vibrant nature within the Île-de-France region.
