The mannequins are not the reality of our society, but only a reflection of its surface.

Fashion, how to dress, image care, are all superficial aspects of Western consumer society, but still reflect its essence. The mannequins are a reflection of this reflection. The street is the surface of the city, a reflection of the life inside houses and buildings. Photography itself is a superficial representation of reality, only a reflection of what is deep under the surface.

The series Deep Surfaces Reflections is a visual exploration bouncing between these different layers of surfaces and reflections.

All photographs are taken in the streets, a no man’s land where everything is possible. The aim is to represent the surface of the cities where we live, what we are now, what we have in front of our eyes every day. There is no staging or intervention about the positions of the bodies, light or decorative elements.

As well as being a reflection of the city landscape, the mannequins are icons of the god of beauty, a silent and distant god. Ideal, unattainable, young, sexy, mysterious bodies. Never a smile that breaks the cold glacial on their faces. Confronted with this god we are all mannequins. All dressed in the same way, same pose, attitudes, same thoughts. Then are we ourselves, as mannequins are, icons of this deity? Perhaps are the mannequins looking at us while we believe the opposite? Mannequins became a mirror able to change the reflection of whoever casts his image on it. Therefore whoever has the control of mannequins can control what society looks like… is society indeed in control of itself? Or is society turning itself into a slave of mannequins?

In many photographs of Deep Surfaces Reflections, faces seem almost alive. The boundary between human being and mannequin become more and more indefinite. Thus the mannequins are also a reflection of ourselves. In their superficiality they can touch deep layers of existence. In their silence they seem to live emotions, feelings, hopes. They seem to share the feelings that make us human beings, they seem to wish to escape from their immobility.

Where does reality begin and reflection end? Who are they?

And who are we?

Deep Surface Reflections

Since 2001 some pinhole photography lovers created the Pinhole Cards Exchange, which means exchanging pinhole pictures or more generally pictures realized without any lens (that is zone plate, pinhole slits, multi-holes, etc…) in occasion of the new year. In practical terms, the members add their address to a list, they can send one or a dozen of pictures, for free and without any specific rule, apart that the picture must be obtained without the use of a lens. Christmas and wishes are not my problem, but I gladly participated, and I must say that I was pleased to receive almost a letter per day, when everything arrives on the net and spot or bank bills are the only thing inside the mailbox. No way to explain the pleasure to see different envelopes, letter or print paper.

I sent a picture shot in 2005, a self-portrait made with a cardboard box, hole done by a pin in a beer tin can, negative on 13×18 cm ilford paper. I photographed with backlighting because I don’t have a good scanner, I create a digital negative and printed a cyanotype on 9x11cm Bristol Paper, followed by tea toning. 25 exemplars editions and two artist-test, signed and numbered. The toning part is one of the most excellent of the last times; I had deep black, almost black, and not the classical cyanotype blues. The high lights have been tainted by tea in warm reddish yellow that I find very nice.

I will post here some of the pictures I received, my favorite ones. The first place goes to the Eric Mitchell’s, fine subject and amazing print on Foma FB basic paper. The best print is the Ingo Guenther’s, an amazing photogravure on a beautiful textured paper, with wonderful deep blacks and classic ink aspect, with lovely grain. Earl Johnson’smust be mentioned among the particular cyanotypes, perfectly realized and by the interesting matter and grain; shame for the stain in the sky. I find Adrien Arles’ double exposition perfectly fulfilled, as the two images totally blend to each other, as they’d be one. Moreover, I do appreciate panoramic pictures right now; therefore I’m happy to have received many of them. Finally, I do appreciate the particular soft and delicate view of the pastel colors in the curious rounded pic by Matt Neima.