Urbanities (diptychs)

How is urban resilience related to sustainability? Can we bounce forward after a disaster when everything condemns us to bounce back? Is vulnerability really opposed to resilience?
The series “Urbanities” shows two photographic stages for a given urban space where the sense of vulnerabilities, hazards, and disasters are significant. The first one (D0) is the initial picture illustrating an urban scene. The second one (D+) is produced from the argentic paper pre-cut in the dark room. Some parts will be chemically treated with fixing or developer agents at given dilution and time. Others will be left untreated. The different parts will be reassembled in the dark room before being printed and exposed to daylight, resulting in the D+ picture. The way darkness develops in time for certain parts of D + will highlight the challenges raised by the urban space resilience level in comparison with D0.
D0 and D+ are printed on argentic paper grade Ilford MGRC Deluxe Pearl, 21 x 29,7 cm/ 8,25 × 11,75 in

Do cities learn from getting burned?

At D0, the half burnt man-tree destiny seems to be inexorably linked to his destroyed environment. The overall perspective raises the question of any possible… Read More »Do cities learn from getting burned?

Feeling Sorry for SF.

The below work is inspired from the “Drawn Stones” of artist Goldsworthy, located at the entrance of the de Young museum, San Francisco.The original cracks… Read More »Feeling Sorry for SF.

How green is urban resilience?

In the below work, the symbolic meaning of the place takes shape through a young girl drawing a sculpture of Korean artist Lim Dong-Mak. Point… Read More »How green is urban resilience?

Venice: the failure of resilience.

The below series of photographs have been taken in Venice in April 2019. The first two underscore a self-delusion leading nowhere. Moving from D0 to… Read More »Venice: the failure of resilience.

Shakes(*).

Can urban resilience be implemented in case of widespread destructions? At D0, two iconic symbols, a Le Corbusier building and the Golden Gate bridge are… Read More »Shakes(*).

A Japanese paradox (*).

In this work, the great wave of Hokusaï should be understood for its symbolic meaning, calling for an almighty nature that no one can stop… Read More »A Japanese paradox (*).

Interface.

Urban space complexity increases. The adaptation to our environment is vital but in the same time it may hurt our cultural, philosophical and religious beliefs.… Read More »Interface.

Smart city.

There is a risk with the «smart city» development to underestimate the growing complexity of cities which can even be exacerbated by our digital environment.… Read More »Smart city.

Gegen Ende.

This work should be seen as a counter-example, underlining the difficulty to incorporate ephemeral experimentations in our urban plans. This building in Berlin speaks for… Read More »Gegen Ende.

La Seine (*).

The below work questions how far flooding adaptation can go, while protecting the cultural heritage of historical cities. At D0, the incongruity of the perspective… Read More »La Seine (*).