Oracles (2010)

Created in 2010, Oracle is a series of five black-and-white portraits displayed in the exterior windows of the Le Catadioptre studio-gallery in Roubaix. The venue paid tribute to Henri Chrétien, inventor of the catadioptric system and the Hypergonar lens, an optic used for anamorphic widescreen cinema, and an enthusiast of esotericism. The space, with its floor covered in a black and white lozenge patterned chequerboard reminiscent of both Gothic cathedrals and Masonic lodges, hosted a single model interpreted across five portraits. The face, transformed by ritualistic make-up and a redrawn dentition evoking warrior adornments, appeared behind each of the five windows, like so many oracular figures intended to ward off misfortune. The photographs, taken with a Plaubel 18×20 cm view camera, allowed for precise control of perspective and a flawless planar rendering of the image. Lighting combined flash units with long exposure times, enhanced by the use of a modified torch to sculpt selected areas of the face with meticulous care.