Sometimes you come across stunning work while surfing the internet, sometimes not. Today I felt lucky to stumble upon the work of French photographer Julien Coquentin for the first time.
Childhood memories often serve as a source for inspiration where nostalgia becomes a drive force. This is the case of the work of Julien Coquentin, who takes us to what he calls The Dead Zone, an imaginary landscape the recreates his childhood reminiscences.
“Because the French countryside where I lived since 2013 containing so many memories, I wanted to include my childhood reminiscences, that enclosed memory in this landscape, now a dead zone and yet so invasive.”
The Dead Zone is dominated by the image of a black cube floating against woodlands, rivers, and empty spaces. While the setting and mood are beautifully serene, yet dark, the intriguing black cube becomes the center of our attention. But what is its meaning? According to the artist he thought
When talking about the process of making this series, Coquentin explains that he proceeded by trial and error, finally choosing a wooden structure of 1 x 1 meters, light and strong that he could take with him while wandering and following the footsteps of his childhood memories. In his own words: “the cube represents the child I was and my history, giving me the opportunity to give back to the past what belongs to the past.” Wonderful work.
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
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