La désobeissance civile / civil disobedience
Découvrez mon interview à la Radio Occitania/ I was interviewed by Christian Moretto on my new photobook "Quand même / Anyway / Trotzdem".
Écoutez l’interview avec Dorothée Lebrun (à partir de minute 50) /
Listen to the radio interview with Dorothée Lebrun (from minute 50 on)
Get a copy of the book
Find a summary of the interview below:
When doing the lockdown portrait series I felt doing something that went against the laws or the restrictions that were imposed on us during that strange spring in 2020. Fear was spread everywhere, strangely enough I was not afraid at all.
However, I was careful and did not post anything about the photo project on social networks. Passers-by saw a call-for-models in the window or they were invited by a mouth-to-mouth information among neighbours.
I was stunned how quickly our civil liberties evaporated and how many people gave in without asking too many questions. Those who dared were quickly labelled conspirators, even renowned scientists with hundreds of publications and major experience in their domains.
Here is a reminder of the situation in France (which is also an extract from the book):
Tuesday 17 March 2020: the first lockdown was announced as a measure against the spread of coronavirus. From that point on, leaving home was prohibited except to shop for food, to receive medical care, or commute to work if homeworking was impossible. Certain outings were allowed, for no longer than one hour a day and within a radius of one kilometre, to take physical exercise or walk pets. An official form was required for any form of travel: leaving home without one was punishable by a €135 fine. Shops deemed non-essential and schools were forced to close until further notice. People were advised to follow hygiene measures and socially distance. Initially forecast to end on 31 March 2020, this lockdown would be extended on two occasions and was finally lifted on 11 May 2020. It lasted fifty-five days.
So when I broke the new laws by riding my bike (!) and trespassing the perimeter of 1km around the house, I knew I risked a fine of 135€ if caught by law enforcement. Anyway, I had put this amount aside and was ready to pay. My liberty is worth much more and my good sense did not understand these measures.
Nothing has happened to me. I was not fined, nobody reprimanded me off while taking the photos. On the contrary, I was congratulated officially by the Mayor of Toulouse on several occasions. The press published several articles, I got an honorable mention at the Monovision Award 2021 and finally the book has been published and I can hold it proudly in my hands today.
So what I have learned from this weird period in my life: