For Planche(s)Contact 2015, Brian Griffin, influenced by the imagery of expressionist cinema, went off to meet the Conseil des Sages, composed of 20 personalities from Deauville that have greatly invested themselves in local public life. He produced an original series of 20 portraits: we find beyond his humor, the strength of his framing, his sense of scenario and his singular mastery of artificial light.
My Deauville portrait subjects were presented to me by Philippe Norman. My solution to the project was to ask my subjects to bring along with them there favourite or “Sunday Best” shoes. I then asked them to be creative with the shoe/ shoes. Firstly I photographed the shoes as a still life on top of a pedestal. The photographs are meant to be viewed as pairs, the shoe then the same shoe/shoes with the subject.
I worked in a daylight room overlooking the beach at Deauville and brought along with me from England in a van my cameras and a complete studio lighting package. So the subjects are lit by a combination of flash and daylight.
All I knew about Deauville was that it was a fashionable resort on the north coast of France.
I found Deauville very clean and possessing a beautiful beach. In a creative way it felt like I was walking around and working in a dream state, everything/everyone floated by issuing no noise. If there was a sound it gave the impression that it was coming from the afterlife.
Jean Marie Lucas saw his shoe as a telephone.
FESTIVAL
Planche(s) Contact
Brian Griffin
The Shoes Of Deauville
From October 17th to November 29th, 2015
Ville de Deauville
France
http://www.deauville-photo.fr
