Vincent Hilaire : In search of adventure

« Paris retro »

Paris, end of the 80s, early 90s. I had the good luck to have a “pied a terre” in Montmartre. It became my base camp for a number of photographic sashays around North Paris. From Jemmapes Quay to Stalingrad, down to Tertre Place, over to Rue Calulaincourt, then to the Sacre-Coeur and Saint Denis and onwards.

Thanks to the magic of black and white photography, I was able to give the impression of traveling in time. ‘The kiss’ by Doisneau, Hotel du Nord, Arletty, Jouvet and Gabin; all once more haunted the streets. The life of a tramp, those disinherited asphalt dwellers, it is only the footpath that unites them with other Parisiennes. Side by side with life in the capital and it’s wonderful whirlwind, is the unchanging misery that is always part of the décor.

The sight of a barge in a lock down at Jemmapes Quay, which houses a portrait gallery. The solitary old man whose only companion is a lamppost. The little mischievous girl who picks up the coins left in the parking meter. Their surroundings and their clothing change a little with the years, but Paris and its streetscapes are immortal.

Every evening, I return from my voyage and I impatiently develop my films. The prints will finish themselves tomorrow….. in the old bath tub. I was to repeat this merry-go-round of a life for nearly 4 years.

Autor : Vincent Hilaire