Melissa Breyer’s “Watchwomen” distant gaze

24 March 2017   •  
Written by Anaïs Viand
Melissa Breyer's "Watchwomen" distant gaze

 

What goes on behind a look? With “Watchwomen”, the photographer Melissa Breyer proposes a series full of poetry, dedicated to the waitresses of New York. By catching their expression between serving two coffees, she immerses us in these scenes of private life. Interview.

Fisheye: Can you describe your work to us?

Melissa Breyer: The short answer would be to say that I do street photography, but my work doesn’t completely fit into that category, in the classical sense of the term. I usually say that my photography work is both urban and candid. I try to show moments in city life that are simultaneously strange, beautiful and calm. I want to give life to stories that are often overlooked.

Why did you choose to photograph only women in their workplace?

I’m not against the idea of photographing men, but I really felt a connection with these women working in the restaurants. Probably because I worked as a waitress in a restaurant while I was a student. There’s a thin line between service and servitude, and this relationship seems especially poignant to me when it comes to women.

© Melissa Breyer

What was the inspiration behind your series “The Watchwomen”?

The models themselves. When I walk down the street I’m always looking through windows. I hope to capture these beautiful scenes where the women are lost in their own thoughts at the same time as they’re carrying out their job. What are they thinking about? What is their story? I was always asking myself these questions. I like imagining their account of their lives. These women are a lot more than their work. I wanted to capture the moments that gave rise to these questions in me.

“My goal was to highlight their dignity”

What was the goal of the project?

I see grace in all these women. They lay the table, feed people, clear away the dishes — tasks that are banal, but also essential, vital. Their work is difficult and sometimes boring and underappreciated; my goal was to highlight their dignity.

Why did you choose the title, “The Watchwomen”?

Linguistically, the words “waiter” and “watchman” have the same root. In one sense, these two terms are interchangeable. I feminised the term “watchman” because I think it describes these women incredibly well. Of course they’re waitresses, but there’s more attention and action in the fact of watching rather than waiting [for the arrival of a customer]. So I invented a new job for them: “watchwomen”. There’s a power in watching. There’s a lot of power in a person’s gaze.

Is this series feminist?

There is for sure a feminist component to the project. Casual service jobs allow these women to have a level of independence while still getting a decent salary. The hours and the timetable are flexible, and often a part-time job is enough to live on. I’ve known women who’ve avoided bad situations because of their waitress jobs. I’ve also known a couple of women who were able to pursue their studies and follow through on their artistic projects, their travel projects by working in restaurants. It’s an entry ticket to an independent life. That’s one reason, among others, that I see so much dignity in their work.

What do you feel when you manage to capture these looks?

Happiness! Between the framing, the camera settings and capturing the moment, there is a lot more failure than success. I’m also very admiring: in front of me are women who are satisfied and full of hope.

What’s your next project?

I have a few ideas in mind, but nothing really concrete just yet. I know that I want to continue photographing people in the city. It’s a project that’s underway and that will never end.

Can you summarise this project in three words?

Compassion, admiration and recognition.

© Melissa Breyer
© Melissa Breyer
© Melissa Breyer
© Melissa Breyer
© Melissa Breyer
© Melissa Breyer© Melissa Breyer
© Melissa Breyer

Images by © Melissa Breyer

Explore
Instagram selection #312
Instagram selection #312
Through portraits or landscapes, the artists of our Instagram selection #312 never stop experimenting. All of them seek new textures and...
24 August 2021   •  
Written by Joachim Delestrade
Salvador Dalí, lava lamps and Rock en Seine: Emma Birski's Chinese portrait
Salvador Dalí, lava lamps and Rock en Seine: Emma Birski’s Chinese portrait
"Photography is a way of expressing myself and staging things that I imagine beautiful, but that I will never see in real life," Emma...
18 August 2021   •  
Written by Finley Cutts
Instagram selection #310
Instagram selection #310
Magic, fantasy, abstraction, humour... By playing with genres and emotions, the photographers of our Instagram selection #310 highlight...
10 August 2021   •  
Written by Fisheye Magazine
Readers picks #352
Readers picks #352
Both passionate about the photographic medium since childhood, Samantha Lomprez and Margot Gremillon – our readers picks #352 – find in...
09 August 2021   •  
Written by Lou Tsatsas
Our latest articles
View all articles
Readers picks #355
Readers picks #355
Alexander Kaller and Stephen Sillifant, our readers picks #355, both escape the frenzy of our world to produce peaceful images – a...
30 August 2021   •  
Written by Fisheye Magazine
British seaside, round animals and Céline Sciamma: Max Miechowski's Chinese portrait
British seaside, round animals and Céline Sciamma: Max Miechowski’s Chinese portrait
Trained as a musician, British artist Max Miechowski turned to photography after a long trip to Southeast Asia. Portraits...
25 August 2021   •  
Written by Lou Tsatsas
Instagram selection #312
Instagram selection #312
Through portraits or landscapes, the artists of our Instagram selection #312 never stop experimenting. All of them seek new textures and...
24 August 2021   •  
Written by Joachim Delestrade
The labourer who turned mud into silver
The labourer who turned mud into silver
With Zilverbeek (Silver creek), Lucas Leffler explores the myth of a worker who made his wealth from the mud that lined the bottom of a...
23 August 2021   •  
Written by Finley Cutts