Trou de memoire, 2001

After 1991, in one of my efforts to erase completely from my memory the places and the faces I was photographing, I repeatedly delayed the development of my negatives. I had the fear that time was never enough, that something, perhaps a detail on the edge of my memory would dilute the illusion that I’ve never been to these places and never met these faces. This fear was the pretext of my refusal to ever develop these films. And not only them, it’s been 20 years that I photograph without developing the films and now when I observe them instead of trying to forget, I try to remember.
Piles of undeveloped films, in black cartridges, green, blue or torn, sealed in a box that for many years I have named “Trou de memoire” (Lack of memory). Occasionally, I place the cartridges on a table and in a row mixing moments and events. First the return and then the departure. First the goodbye and then the meeting.
Part of this collection was exhibited as a complete work with the title “Trou de memoire”.