TR

2014

Lonely Landscapes, Unspoken Times

Osman Karakülah from our team, interviewed our Mixer Editions artist Stéphane Suisse about his artistic practice.

Hello Stéphane, can you talk about yourself a little bit?

I’m 41 years old, living in the city of Lyon in France with my wife and my 3 children. I’m a social media analyst working in an international company. In parallel, I’m also a fine art photographer since more than 15 years. Photography is essential to my harmony because this is first a creative passion but also a means to question the world, to capture living areas and grasp moments of life.

How do you pick a work to be in black and white or in color? Do you personally attribute any specific meanings to both of them?

The black and white shots work best in order to allow capturing unexposed spaces, to arouse new feelings as they may awaken our perception. Time, this unspeakable factor, affixes its mark on all clichés. It shapes streams, unfolds clouds, enlightensspaces, flatters the light, transforms the landscapes. The color appeared later maybe because the world is colored… Also, I wanted to recreate the feeling of paint with waterscapes. I kept the same approach with architecture and cityscape, the main meaning is the perception I have and want to communicate.

When I consider your works, such as Crossroads and Face to Face, there is a clear difference between them and the others. What is the main drive behind that?

Yes, they are more recent and these pictures were taken in a modern district of Lyon. I had the feeling that something new was born, a new suburb, a new way of living. As the first time, we raise up our head to perceive this new movement. I started taking pictures of the whole district very intuitively, without thinking too much of the best angle, position, or appropriate light... These buildings were really alive and still are.

Do the objects carry their intrinsic meanings in your works or you try to give them a new meaning?

I would say both but the outline of the story is to highlight existing objects or landscapes in their natural environment. They are present and we pay only a little attention to them. They are a part of our history, what we are. That’s why I represent so few people in my work, a way to give them a momentum.

As the viewer, we never get the chance to see the process behind a printed work. What do you experience before you take photographs? Do you usually have anything in your mind before starting to work on a photograph?

Basically, I know where I want to shoot, I know the spots and areas I want to be at and as soon as I’m in the place, I let my imagination to steer the process of creation. I mentally represent the final result and apply different settings. Of course, I can take the same photograph for many times and come back later but it is not that efficient. I also leave myself lots of freedom to operate because I love to surprise myself and I often get my best photographs like that. First I plan the process then compose it with intuition.

Which one takes more of your time, looking for the perfect shot or editing them in your studio?

For sure I spend more time on the field. I don’t shoot a lot but I love being outside to hunt the best places and the perspective I can expect. The processing of the digital image is of course an important editing step where you can make the finishing touches. But the poetry is more in the story around the photography, than in the technical process to produce the picture.

What do you think about Mixer’s mission, making art accessible to everyone?

Making art accessible to everyone is a good point but we need to be vigilant to ensure that the market does not take precedence over the quality and imposes the trends

Is there anything you want to say to wanna-be-photographers out there?

Yes get out of there and go shooting the world, be creative and produce different things. Forget the trends, we need guides who have a vision of the next steps in photography.

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