In images, in picturesFor almost five years, the two photographers have been traveling the roads of France to constitute an encyclopedia of images. Already rich in 12,000 photos, their “Atlas of natural regions”, fully available online, provides a complete portrait of the country.
If you have ever crossed Faucigny, one of the historic provinces of Savoy, you will no doubt remember the majestic view of the snow-capped peaks of the Alps, the small typical stone and wooden sheepfolds, the hotels facing the Mont-massif. White… But, beyond this postcard vision, you may have also come across, like Eric Tabuchi and Nelly Monnier, fake chalets that cultivate the vintage look, apartments for skiers that look like hutches, a red firecracker kebab, a cable car depot …
For their Atlas of natural regions, the duo of photographers captured everything, without prejudice. “Our basic idea is to move the line of what belongs to the register of the beautiful and the ugly, emphasizes Eric Tabuchi. For us, there is no hierarchy between a castle, a church, a supermarket or a gas station. Beauty proclaimed and nurtured tends to bore us. ”
“There have been more images of the Arc de Triomphe packed in two weeks than there have ever been in the Creuse since the invention of photography. »Eric Tabuchi
It has been almost five years since the tandem has tirelessly walked the small country roads of France, being chased by dogs, facing the suspicious looks of the inhabitants who do not understand why these “Parisians” come to photograph their old grain silo. “We are like sales reps without customers, we drive twelve hours a day and end the day with a cold pizza in a small hotel, laughs Nelly Monnier. But no one is forcing us, and we have complete freedom. “
Since 2017, the duo have used three cars in this completely crazy project, which they carry with an unshakeable faith: to photograph France, all of France, in a systematic way, in every nook and cranny. “There have been more images of the Arc de Triomphe packed in two weeks than there have ever been in the Creuse since the invention of photography, regrets Eric Tabuchi. While 80% of French territory is rural. There is a richness, a diversity which is totally hidden. ”
Natural and non-administrative regions
When the two artists met, Nelly Monnier, painter and visual artist, was leading a project around the exploration, in a subjective way, of her homeland, Ain, a discreet department away from the big metropolises. Photographer Eric Tabuchi, born in France to a Japanese father and a Danish mother, fed him, “A deep curiosity for the territory, and also, he admits, a desire undoubtedly to legitimize [sa] presence “.
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