La Vallée 2012

La Vallée postulates photography as a creator of stories, whether they fall under pure invention or are rooted in a certain reality. Photography becomes here the vector of a very personal vision and tends to fiction. Taking the aspect of a fictional study, the project considers la Vallée de Joux and its geographic, demographic and industrial characteristics, emphasizing the heterogeneous aspects of the region. Indeed, this area is a microcosm where traditions, rigor, industry and luxury come together. These notions, sometimes paradoxical, are the result of its location as a remote valley of the Jura and its importance as one of the birthplaces of the watch industry.

La Vallée shows an unconventional perspective on this unique socio-geographic context and contradicts prejudices deeply rooted in the imagination of the foreigner. The photographs, in the guise of documentary and objective images are manipulated, retouched and composed so as to create a manufactured substantiality and disturb the viewer. The whole consists of various series each adopting a specific aesthetic and re-interpreting various photographic genres.The story becomes emblematic and exposes the importance of imagination in creating a site-specific identity.

La Vallée was conducted between 2010 and 2012, particularly in the context of the Master Art Direction at ECAL, University of Art and Design, Lausanne.