My first introduction to the work of Laurence de Vogüé was during the preparation of her exhibition « Chicago Inside Out ». Phosphorescence and movement were the first things that caught my eye. A certain balance and a complexity of depth emanated
from her photos.
Movement, vibration and even sound seemed to be revealed in the colour. Only a singular discipline can produce this presence in an image.
I met Laurence and asked her about her methods and this happy balance which is constantly present in her work.
She has two imperious constraints. First, the shot: this « decisive moment » once captured, cannot suffer any subsequent modification or reframing, no deviating from the first intuition. Nor any resort to tweaking, a habit common to photographers confronted by an avalanche of images.
Second, she follows the same approach to developing. All her shots are transformed at the same time. Only that which exists in the image can be revealed, however infinitesimal the shades that stubbornly reflect what is to be found in light and matter.
At the fringe of painting and photography is painting with light. Colour and its transformations reveal a sum of energy which transport all our perceptions of vibration and movement. Movement and vibration: those that surround and pass through, those that precede and those that folklo, those off camera - from a whisper to a whirlwind.
The entire history and subject of the photo is perceived through the eye of a 1 animal, conjuring up the photo to be.
This tension is not without humour. In England, it is Alice who adopts the sight and point of view of the grinning Cheshire cat.
The photographs made an unexpected impression on me; I had previously only experienced this when looking at certain paintings. Not only do Laurence’s photos invite us to look; they give us pause. We have a relationship with her photographs. They transmit an unusual feeling, that of a special tranquillity. Without trying to convey any meaning or emotion, they suggest a fellow feeling. They seem to take on the “disturbing familiarity” of that which, albeit seen, remains invisible and secret. This special sensation of peace and calm can be felt freely, individually and simultaneously.
A mental landscape is opened up where joy, sorrow and magic are secretly distilled. Doubtless the sentiments it arouses are as varied as the colours. To the spectator, this scene offers a haven, a refuge to movements of the soul.
In her recent work the photographer has renewed the tradition of double exposure. The Surrealists were quick to explore a “ressouvenance” atmosphere through this procedure. Here, its use is quite different. No layers of old memories, but rather a game of afterglow or remanence as seen by an animal. An image persists; its grid will frame the next image. The simultaneity is shown by graphic association: two shots in one.
As for colour and to the same extent, geometry transports this effect, conveying a permanent perception of vibration and presence.
Therein lies the humour. From one town to the next, this is an excursion.
Eric Dem Collec Translation : Juliet Du Pontet Paris,Joigny. Sept 2017