Laurence Aëgerter – Cathédrales

The book Soulèvements is the continuation of a vast photographic project related to the history of science and theories of the formation of the Earth. Originally inspired by the ancient discoveries that revealed the presence of fossils on the top of mountains, the series Soulèvements is the result of a reflection on the interpretations that have been made over the centuries, based on the observations of these fossils. Based in part on the imaginary, Soulèvements is a reinvention of scientific representations of the formation of the Earth's reliefs and the movements of the mountains revealing a form of choreography of the landscape. Composed from an installation of thirty mirrors, each of the photographs sculpts the space and the landscape challenging the viewer's gaze and his imagination. Not as a simple edition of photographs, the book is built as a mirror of the process of creation of the work, revealing the details, the materiality of the supports, the mechanisms, and interprets the theoretical research underlying the images. The book is composed of a large-format edition exposing the photographs in all their details and an independent booklet. Slipped into the book, this booklet mixes a scientific iconography, images of documentation of the shots and a text by Emma Lewis emphasizing the theoretical and scientific process that accompanies the artist's project.

Following in the footsteps of Cindy Sherman, Tomoko Sawada embodies the second generation of female artists who choose the photographic mise-en-scène to explore the question of identity and denounce contemporary cultural conventions. This young Japanese artist is particularly interested in the photographic practice within our society such as class, wedding or fashion studio photography. She disguises herself as a multitude of characters to bring out the stereotypes of these customs and habits. With Recruit, Tomoko Sawada continues her work on self-portraiture in contemporary Japanese society. This time she explores the identity photographs that Japanese students take at the end of their studies, in order to look for a job. She has kept the established formal conventions (costume, posture, neutral facial expression), but to thwart them by introducing a subtle variation. From a strict photographic device, taking up the codes of the photo booth (a light always similar, an invariant framing, the same pose), she multiplies the images by playing on her hairstyle, her make-up, and the expression given to her face. She amazes by the difference she makes possible and visible on her face, and demonstrates the relative character of all appearance. Arranged in a grid in the book, the three portrait plates offer a global vision of their number, at the same time as they invite the eye to scroll from one face to another.