Recontres d'Arles : Photography, drugs and rock’n’roll

Photography, usually, isn’t necessarily linked to partying. For be it in its glamorous fashion style – Yves Saint-Laurent and so on – or in its real photojournalist sobriety, war in Iraq etc – the medium has never had any Cannes, Isle of Wight or 'T in the Park' kind of Festival. Or perhaps you thought it never had.

In fact, since 1973, one of the coolest events of the summer happens in a small city called Arles, in the south of France, which is better known as being the home of Vincent Van Gogh, absinth and bull fighters. So why do I use such a superlative: 'one of the coolest events of the summer?' Well, just to give you an example, imagine – just after having been part of the world-cup excitement, with that big screen in the centre plaza of the town – running away from that hysteria (people dancing in the street, kissing, hugging etc) to go and listen to Patti Smith live in an old theatre at 11 pm, with another screen there displaying the best photography of the last three decades, projected intime with the music.

Imagine then going to the 20th birthday party of that great French photo agency, VU, in a kind of nightclub/ gallery offering deliciouscocktails, strange films, music and absolutely amazing photos. Imagine then, leaving at 5 am to drift in the deserted city, only to be surprised by a summer storm exploding on the plaza: a moment as surreal as if it were in Luis Bunuel or Frederico Fellini film.

Apart from this douceur de vivre (easiness of life), the Rencontres d'Arles is, more then anything, possibly the best place in the world to get a handle on the current state of photography and where it's heading. One of the reasons for that, is a courageous curatorial policy which gives one major figure of photography each year, free reign to invite his or her “guests”, to exhibit their work and organise events, etc. This year, we were lucky to have Raymond Depardon, one of the most important contemporary photographers, who follows in the tradition of the classic American snappers such as Robert Adams and Cornell Capa.

This French photographer has developed a 'back to the realism' approach to photography, which in this world dominated by a confusion of images,serves to remind us of the origin and essence of the pictures. In other words: defending the importance of no-bullshit photojournalism and documentary photography which flies in the face of the prevailing fashionable / post-modern aesthetic.

Depardon had also invited his 'travelling companions' with whom he’s been going around the world to document or, 'reveal' as he puts it. These included, Don McCullin, David Burnett, Guy Le Querrec, Roman Cieslewicz, Michael Ackerman.

As for a younger generation, from Jodi Bieber’s black and white prints of South African kids to the American nightmares of Paul Graham; from Olivier Jobard’s travels of a clandestine immigrant to the political portraits of Sébastien Calvet, 'the guests of Raymond' promoted this idea of photography as the most honest and direct medium to understand the world and, eventually, to contribute to its change.

Text: Yann Perreau
Images: Michael Grieve

VU is a photographic agency of international renown, thanks to its creator and chief editor Christian Caujolle, who is noted for having brought subjectivity and militancy in photojournalism, particularly in the great years of the daily newspaper Libération, in the 1970’s. Jodi Bieber's amazing and very disturbing book Between Dogs and Wolves was published in the UK by Dewi Lewis, in 2006.