Jérémy Appert: “As a reaction to this and out of the necessity to return to freedom, I try to grasp the will of these beings to create spaces of liberation.”

Can you tell us how you became a photographer? And can you tell us about your photos?

I began developing an artistic practice while living as a hobo on the streets of Victoria, Canada, following a burn-out. This profoundly renewed my relationship with the world, prompting me to be attentive to the alienating forces - be they political, social, economic or technological - that can be exerted on individuals. In response, and out of a need to set myself free, I seek to capture the will of these beings to create spaces of freedom for themselves.

Photo: Jérémy Appert

Can you tell us something about the series for which you won the audience award at Circulation(s). How did the idea for the theme, the choice of colors and the composition come about?

It is a series that presents, in a dreamlike way, a site of confrontation, a place where one tests both personal limits and those of the world, a place where one measures oneself against the forces of nature. In Marseille as elsewhere, cliff diving is practiced as a rite of passage, a self-determined ordalic quest. The title Ilinx (ίλινξ) comes from Ancient Greek and means “whirl of water”; it is also the root of the Greek word for “vertigo” (ílingos).

The shooting process is highly instinctive, as I am immersed in the turbulence of the elements, one hand gripping the rock or struggling to stay afloat, while the other fires in bursts, all while being dazzled by the sun directly ahead. To preserve the sensory intensity of the images, I nevertheless refuse to photograph through the viewfinder and instead surrender to the chaos. Through this multitude of shots, I open up an abyss from which I draw during the editing phase, attempting to find some form of order within it.

Photo : Jérémy Appert

What inspires you in general?

My practice is that of a gleaner, allowing myself to be absorbed by all expressions, be they words, forms or individuals. Over time, this creates a fallow palimpsest. And then one day, at the turn of a volume, a gesture, a material - but more often than not, a phrase or a misfire - a hybridization springs up, opening up a path to be explored.

For Ilinx, I may have found direction, or confirmation, in the contemplative resistance of Friedrich's figures, Courbet's Monstrous Wave, Guo Xi's experience of immensity at work, the song of the sea and the muted impact of bodies meeting its surface, the writings of Homer & Quignard, the torpor of the Mediterranean sun, Werner Herzog's quest for fusion, the lightness of Schubert and my fascination with emptiness.

Photo : Jérémy Appert

Which papers and media would you like to order for this series or would you like to “test” them?

I would like to take advantage of this offer from WhiteWall to discover the white pop art frames that can give the print a floating effect and at the same time emphasize the ethereal dimension through their transparent edges. I would also be interested in testing fine art pigment printing under acrylic glass. I am aware that the thickness of the material can neutralize the lightness of the image, but I am curious to see how it can increase the depth of color and what impact the reflections have on the milky aesthetic of the series.

Photo: Jérémy Appert

Festival Circulation(s), 2024 Edition