Meanwhile in Berlin – Interview with Bénédicte Blondeau

What interests you in the medium of photography?

I like to work with a medium which by essence registers fragments of the ‘real’ world in order to create a new alternate reality. I see my images as ‘real and absolutely unreal at the same time‘, it is a sort of paradox I like to play with.

What role does publishing play in your photographic practice and in particular in your work Ce qu’il reste?

I love the idea that my work can circulate anywhere in the world, without any restriction in time or space. Publishing my work as a book makes it more accessible and the relationship of the viewer to it is completely different from what it would be in a show. I love taking photo books in my hands, feel their texture; it is an experience that has something very intimate. The distance often imposed in a show (do not cross, do not touch the artworks…) disappears completely.

For me, a book also allows to tell a story that is more complete, because there is room for a different kind of images. Next to what I would call the ‘pillar’ images – the strongest from a series which deserve to be presented in a larger format – there is another sort of pictures that I might not show in an exhibition, while in a book they suddenly get an important role in telling the story. To me, those kind of images are very important in their coexistence with others and in this way, the book almost becomes like a protected environment for them.

What are you working on at the moment?

My latest project spontaneously emerged from the lockdown. I had the chance to spend the confinement on an island on the outskirts of Berlin. With the arrival of spring, I have observed the transformations of nature like never before. I started to collect my impressions in a new project called refuge.

 

To get a closer view inside Bénédicte Blondeau’s work visit her website under www.benedicteblondeau.com

 

malenki.net features the following publications by Bénédicte Blondeau