Spirit of the era, echo of space
LAURENT DEQUICK
Scouting the urban frenzy
As you walk down the street, the lights, noises, traffic, hustle and bustle, and mix of smells are so striking that no single shot could capture all of it. So do we have to make choices? I don’t think so and I don’t want to.
LAURENT DEQUICK
Laurent Dequick is a professional architect in his forties. His photographic work has been influenced by architecture, since it is primarily focused on ideas surrounding the contemporary city and more specifically, urban sprawl. The photographer’s message is to accurately convey the impression of freneticism stemming from population density and activity in urban zones: “As you walk down the street, the lights, noises, traffic, hustle and bustle, and mix of smells are so striking that no single shot could capture all of it. So do we have to make choices? I don’t think so and I don’t want to.” To convey in images this “congestion” of urban life, Laurent Dequick does not hesitate to juxtapose, superimpose, or imbricate his shots. He fits together photographs representing architectural complexes, highways, and people, all with the same intensity. He condenses the images like the city condenses the sum of the lives of all of its inhabitants. His style is reminiscent of cubism in its rendering that verges on abstraction in its representation of constant motion.
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Interview
An anecdote about one of your YK's photography?
Two years ago in Hong Kong, I took the photo High Density. I returned last year to complete this vision of the vertical city. I learned not long ago that the municipality had recently forbidden photos in this place, as it was disturbing the residents too much. So I went at the right time!
How do you think photography and architecture are linked?
A major part of my activity as a photographer is to create architectural reports commissioned by architecture agencies that want to communicate about their productions. Within this framework, architectural photography enables a constructed project to be showcased, to lead the spectator to the essential parts of the project (composition, details, etc.).
Urban energy or the calm of abandoned sites?
Everything inspires me, so long as something happens. Think of, for instance, Saint Mark’s Square in Venice or Times Square in New York. Both places are crawling with people by day and deserted at sunrise. Offering diametrically opposed atmospheres.
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