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?

C’est une série qui donne à voir de manière onirique un lieu de confrontation, un lieu où l’on expérimente ses limites et celles du monde, un lieu où l’on se mesure aux forces de la nature. À Marseille comme ailleurs, le saut de falaise est pratiqué comme un rituel initiatique, une quête ordalique autodéterminée. Le titre Ilinx (ίλινξ) vient du grec ancien et signifie “tourbillon d’eau”, c’est aussi en grec la racine du mot “vertige” (ílingos).

Le processus de prise de vues est très instinctif, car je suis immergé dans l'ébullition des éléments, une main crispée à la roche ou tentant de surnager, pendant que l’autre déclenche en rafale, tout en étant ébloui par le soleil s’offrant de face. Afin de préserver la charge en sensation des images, je refuse malgré tout d’essayer de photographier par le prisme du viseur, et préfère me remettre au chaos. Par cette multitude de clichés, j’ouvre un abîme dans lequel je viens piocher lors de la phase d’éditing, et tente d’y trouver un ordre.

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