French photographer Frédéric Nauczyciel traveled to Baltimore with the intention of a project in 2011, "The Wire" develop by using a photography grant focusing on the character of Omar from the cult television show.
What he was not expected, you will discover the city underground voguing scene and have his project in a completely different direction go.
From there started develop Nauczyciel, now "The fire flies," a photographic series documenting the individuals in the voguing scene is active in Baltimore. The Huffington Post chatted with the Nauczyciel last week, his experiences in creating this project better to understand and to learn what he wanted the series to achieve.
The Huffington Post: why have you decided to start this project? Could you give us some background information?
I received from people from the Institut of Français, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a program Hors Les murs Fellowship (formerly Villa Medici), a research grant for a French artist in a foreign country. I wanted in the United States for many reasons. First because France, when I was a kid about soul music, shopping malls and America. Also my mentor of an American postmodern choreographer, Andy Degroat--, that 80's was located in France in the middle. And since I had to acknowledge the fact that French philosophers, taking into account gender and race had taken over American thinkers. And I had the intuition that a city like Baltimore would be a metaphor of the Parisian urban reality.
I wanted to stay past two months in Baltimore, Omar's character from "The Wire", its ability to define its own urban geography, be it physical, mental, personal, symbolic, to understand political. I was very eager to understand that an alternative and a possible position be Omar's character for it down between the low and the dictates of visibility is. Omar teaches as a city to be in the 21st century. He is a gender and a post-colonial man: a man of gender and ethnic considerations. I met Baltimore Voguers instead and stayed five months and started back and forth for the last three years to come.
Saw you voguing culture in Baltimore is different, what you have seen in New York?
I can't say that I many New Yorkers voguing scene saw. I was introduced by my friends from Baltimore, the reality and the authenticity of the voguing. There is truth in the Ballroom scene of Baltimore, where it is possible to escape, not the city can not the subway and go to Central Park, Times Square, or Alexander McQueen exhibition at the MET. Voguing is a 24/7-live away from there. An artist, the New York represented Ballroom scene from the ' 80s, Chantal Regnault, was moved by my film, because it reminds her of that time. Anyway, I think it's a good thing that turns more arty scene in New York Voguing, it says much about how the majority society developed. It is currently not the case in France. Plus, not voguing can completely cross, it is too strong. A more underground scene in New York City continue to spread in more neighborhoods-in community centres, for example.
Who are the people featured in these photos?
They're fireflies. The weak and almost secret, hidden, bright light, you have to search it. A poetic metaphor for the extravagance of their fast and furious performance, when they fight. They burn quickly. They change the city, in which she by her secret existence of life. It is very paradox. A grey area of the understanding, which makes the world real.
I have the first shooting was aiming, the vogue poses to the origins, to deconstruct the covers of Vogue magazine back. These photos are studies for the shootings, the we soon outdoors, would stage in their backyard or neighborhoods. Raw houses are especially the city of Baltimore. I wanted her reality show that is still relevant in 2010 voguing. Voguing is lively, contemporary; It turns hybridizes itself from influences, that brings new behaviors in a contemporary urban culture. It is flamboyant, Savant, Baroque. I convinced her to show their flamboyance and ferocious that they did, who they are in the middle of the city. I wanted to collect these levels in photographs, that would appear to be academic portraits.
They're Voguers from Baltimore. Some of them I still with closely work, how Dale Blackheart is who you run with me Julie Meneret Gallery in New York for "Danse: a French American Festival of ideas and ideas."
"The Fire Flies" is now on display through may in New York City's Julie Meneret contemporary art gallery.
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