Jean-Jaures

« Diverging from the approach dictated by serial protocol, Gilles Raynaldy focuses on a long-term representation of the population in a suburban school institution in Paris: the Jean-Jaurès school complex in Montreuil. Youth has become a classic theme since the 1970s, but the renewal of generations reshapes behavioral codes as well as institutional responses. Immersed in the life of the institution, the photographer’s work involves not only creating images but also sharing them through exhibition experiences in communal spaces, where high school students engage in a dialogue with their own image. It entails finding an almost seasonal rhythm, understanding architecture as well as classroom organization, and observing micro-gestures that range from seduction to concern.

As a substantial volume, Jean-Jaurès (2015) is part of a history of patient works that manage to combine documentary rigor and evocative power, as summarized by the photographer: «I don’t think we can exclude the function of testimony from my work. It seems to me that testimony and the pursuit of strength are inseparable. What particularly interests me in a documentary approach is not so much its demonstrative or objective value, but its ability to imbue a presence and a time that photographs bring to the surface under the viewer’s gaze.

The synthesis of being a witness and a form creator is enhanced by the attitudes of research and commitment. A new way of being humanistic has been constructed in photography. »

Excerpt from 50 Years of French Photography by Michel Poivert (Textuel, 2020)

This work received support from the French Ministry of Culture, the French Ministry of Education, and Le BAL / La Fabrique du Regard

A few copies of the Jean-Jaurès are still available at www.purpose.fr or by contacting studio@gillesraynaldy.com

This gallery presents a selection from the series.