The mistral wind chased away the rains that have plagued the ImageSingulières photography festival these past few years. The public came out in droves, mostly local and regional, proof of the status of this festival that has mobilized an impressive number of volunteers to man everything from the welcome booth to hanging the photographs.
Budget cuts, flagging support from the city and other setbacks could only be interpreted negatively. The association CétAvoir, which organizes the festival, learned that they would have to leave their premises, where it hosts activities throughout the year. Neither the artists nor the photo lovers know where they will go next January. As Gilles Favier, festival director, said enigmatically on the evening of the final projection: “See you next year, maybe somewhere else…”
While a festival is all about encounters, it also requires discoveries and surprises. And that’s always the case in Sète, whose program always explores the documentary image and its function. The parallels between almost antagonistic styles question the idea of borders, and there’s an emphasis on Chilean photography that still holds, after many dark years, several surprises and questions, through form, meaning, narrative and engagement. And the many forms photography takes today. This can be seen in the expansive project “La France vue d’ici” developed by the news organization Médiapart, which brings together works by Edward Curtis, Jérôme Brézillon and Stéphane Lavoué.
Read the full article in the French version of L’Oeil.
FESTIVAL
Image Singulières
13 – 31 May 2015
Sète
France
