Hélène Degrandpré presents “Habiter le paysage, une conversation photographique en Flandre maritime”
Hélène Degrandpré presents “Habiter le paysage, une conversation photographique en Flandre maritime” at the Spéos Gallery, 7 rue Jules Vallès, 75011 Paris, from January 31 to March 17, 2023.
Opening of the exhibition: Thursday, February 2nd.
About the exhibition
This project is based on a personal story of the area, the Flandres 2019 Series. Small houses scattered across the Flemish plain, the story of a dream that I wanted to contrast with reality. From the intimacy of their houses on the horizon of the fields that surround them, how do the people of the area view their environment?
Habiter le paysage is the logbook of my residence in Bourbourg between January and May 2022, a photographic project on the inhabitants and the workers of the Dunkirk area, their stories and practices within their natural surroundings.
In these old farms, sometimes still in use, people have agreed to recount a few fragments of their life and to share their views. The link to the living world is revealed in many ways: agriculture – its history, joys and worries – climate change, future generations, and all those moments that make up the poetry of daily life.
“Habiter le paysage” is an exhibition produced on the occasion the contemporary art biennial “L’Art dans la ville #3″ (2022) supported by the CIAC – Centre Interprétation Art et Culture (Bourbourg) and the Urban Community of Dunkerque.
About the photographer
Hélène Degrandpré became interested in documentary photography after a career in the performing arts and the social field. A freelance photographer, she is particularly drawn to portraiture, a domain in which she invites her subjects to tell their story, to share a little of their inner self, whether in the studio – a place for invention – or in their personal environment.
Next to her documentary work, she offers her services to various structures in the associative and social sectors. Since 2021, she has been developing her activity in residence at les Chaudronneries, in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), a place of research, creation and development, dedicated to contemporary societal and economic issues.
Hélène is a Spéos 2017 graduate from the program Professional photography in 1 year, with a specialization in photo reportage.
