'There's no fresh concept today'

Q&A: Bernard Faucon

Ten years after he gave it up, French photographer Bernard Faucon rues that there's nothing new about shooting photos. He talks to Neha Bhatt about "staged photography".

Why did you stop your work in photography?
I think, I have expressed everything I had to say that revolved around time, structures and landscapes. I feel like I’m through with that. More importantly, the situation of photography in the arts has changed greatly. The kind of staged photography I have done, using mannequins primarily as subjects, doesn’t work anymore. Back then, there was a definitive relationship between fiction and reality. Now, all we see is our images, publicity and the way it is all packaged. My photographs focused on what seemed like a dream that existed at one time, in one place.

But why do you think you can’t create similar work in current circumstances?
Today, we don’t believe in that kind of photography. Using mannequins was my way of journeying into photography. And my power lay in breathing life into something. For example — when I shot an empty room, I gave it more, I put in it expression, with nothing actually in it. My expression is best seen in the setting and lighting.

Children have been one of your favourite subjects.
Yes, I was a lost child myself. I like to use children as subjects in different time zones. I worked on a special project, which is part of my collection, called “The Happiest Day of my Youth” (1997-2000). I invited young girls and boys from 20 countries to stage this happiest day. It was a fantastic experience.

Even though you feel you cannot subscribe to the art of photography today, are you able to appreciate it?
I feel like I have not seen anything new in photography for very long. After a while, it’s difficult to find new concepts.

As an artist, how do you express yourself now?
I write. I used to write a line or two even on my photographs. I’m a poet and I love working with mixed techniques. I’m still looking for other ways to express myself. Oh, and I hate to be photographed myself.