honorable mention
Jonk Jonk france
title
Naturalia: Chronicle of Contemporary Ruins
Today, I have visited more than one thousands of them in around fifty countries on four continents.
My interest has focused on those reclaimed by Nature because of the ecological consciousness that moves me since my youngest age. Indeed, Naturalia: Chronicle of Contemporary Ruins carries the message that Nature is stronger, and that whatever happens to Man, She will always be there.
Moreover, this series asks a fundamental question: that of the place of Man on Earth and his relationship with Nature. Far from being pessimistic, and at a time when Man’s domination of Nature has never been so extreme, it aims to wake our consciousness.
Man builds, Man abandons. Every time for his own peculiar reasons. Nature does not care about those reasons. But one thing is for sure, when Man leaves, She comes back and She takes back everything.
This series also tells the story of the progression of Nature, from the infiltration in abandoned places, through the moment where She grows inside them, until their collapse. Burial comes next along with the disappearance of all traces of Man.
Thus, in her inexorable progression, She starts infiltrating the insides of a Croatian castle (Picture 1) or a Belgian swimming pool (2). Then, She grows in a Cuban theater (3) before invading all the space of an Montenegrin castle (4). After that, given more time, She imprisons a Taiwanese mansion with her strong roots (5).
The next steps? Collapse and burial.
French poet Léo Ferré said “With Time goes, everything goes”. So, when Nature and Time take back what Man abandoned, what will be left of our civilization?
Roaming in abandoned places looking for graffiti, I realized the intensity of the atmospheres and the beauty of the spectacle of passage of time: rust, decaying and peeling painted walls, broken windows, nature taking back create unbelievable sceneries, of high photogeny. For me, these scenes felt like infinite poetry.
At the hour of choices, this new passion imposed itself, even if I could not get rid of my nickname, symbol of my graffiti artist times, highly important to me.
Today, fifteen years later, I visited more than one thousand locations in more than forty countries on four continents.
With time, my interest concentrated on what appeared to me to be the strongest in this vast subject of abandonment: Nature taking back. It is poetic, even magic, to see this Nature retaking what used to be hers, reintegrating through broken windows, cracks on the walls, spaces built by Man and then neglected, until sometimes guzzling them up entirely.
In March 2018, I released the book “Naturalia” on the topic and currently work on volume II asked by the publisher.
In June 2018, I quit my job to fully dedicate myself to photography and to this subject.
back to gallery
entry description
I travel the world looking for abandoned places.Today, I have visited more than one thousands of them in around fifty countries on four continents.
My interest has focused on those reclaimed by Nature because of the ecological consciousness that moves me since my youngest age. Indeed, Naturalia: Chronicle of Contemporary Ruins carries the message that Nature is stronger, and that whatever happens to Man, She will always be there.
Moreover, this series asks a fundamental question: that of the place of Man on Earth and his relationship with Nature. Far from being pessimistic, and at a time when Man’s domination of Nature has never been so extreme, it aims to wake our consciousness.
Man builds, Man abandons. Every time for his own peculiar reasons. Nature does not care about those reasons. But one thing is for sure, when Man leaves, She comes back and She takes back everything.
This series also tells the story of the progression of Nature, from the infiltration in abandoned places, through the moment where She grows inside them, until their collapse. Burial comes next along with the disappearance of all traces of Man.
Thus, in her inexorable progression, She starts infiltrating the insides of a Croatian castle (Picture 1) or a Belgian swimming pool (2). Then, She grows in a Cuban theater (3) before invading all the space of an Montenegrin castle (4). After that, given more time, She imprisons a Taiwanese mansion with her strong roots (5).
The next steps? Collapse and burial.
French poet Léo Ferré said “With Time goes, everything goes”. So, when Nature and Time take back what Man abandoned, what will be left of our civilization?
about the photographer
When I was seventeen, I went to Barcelona to spend the summer. There, I discovered a huge graffiti culture which is a part me until today. Since that summer, I shoot street art and graffiti everywhere I go. Always with the idea of finding pictures that not everyone does, I started adventuring into in abandoned places, where graffiti artists often go to paint, to be alone and able to take time to make bigger and better pieces. After some time frequenting these artists, I started myself to paint there. That’s actually the reason why I adopted a nickname.Roaming in abandoned places looking for graffiti, I realized the intensity of the atmospheres and the beauty of the spectacle of passage of time: rust, decaying and peeling painted walls, broken windows, nature taking back create unbelievable sceneries, of high photogeny. For me, these scenes felt like infinite poetry.
At the hour of choices, this new passion imposed itself, even if I could not get rid of my nickname, symbol of my graffiti artist times, highly important to me.
Today, fifteen years later, I visited more than one thousand locations in more than forty countries on four continents.
With time, my interest concentrated on what appeared to me to be the strongest in this vast subject of abandonment: Nature taking back. It is poetic, even magic, to see this Nature retaking what used to be hers, reintegrating through broken windows, cracks on the walls, spaces built by Man and then neglected, until sometimes guzzling them up entirely.
In March 2018, I released the book “Naturalia” on the topic and currently work on volume II asked by the publisher.
In June 2018, I quit my job to fully dedicate myself to photography and to this subject.
back to gallery
