He never tired of the decor. In residence in Chambord from October 28 to December 22, Robert Charles Mann was entitled to a magnificent view as soon as he left his temporary apartment nestled in the castle. “It’s a dream to be here”smiled the American photographer.
For two months, he made around thirty pinhole cameras, rudimentary cameras made by drilling a hole in a very thin plate. For his people, Robert Charles Mann used different types of boxes, which previously contained coffee or bottles of whiskey.
He installed them all around the castle with the aim of printing, on photo paper, the path of the sun for six months, from the winter solstice to the summer solstice. As the days and seasons go by, long bands of light appear on the photo, which is called a solargraph.
“Every time it’s a surprise”
“It is the action of the sun which gives the result: each time it is a surprise”explains the photographer, who then scans the image and uses software to bring out the dominant colors.
“The pinhole camera gave me the vision I had been looking for for a long time, explains Robert Charles Mann, who has been using this technique for about 40 years. What interests me is the phenomenon of light. »
-While he had already exhibited photos at the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, in 2018, a town where he has resided year-round since 2012, the artist has this time set his sights on that of Chambord. “His story fascinates me, he says. When I proposed (to the Domaine team) To do this project, I imagined the architecture of the castle in the image and its silhouette in front of the sun. »
An approach that differs from the one he usually uses: “Normally, I work on nature”indicates the photographer, who, for his exhibition in Chaumont, took his photos from the castle.
For his work carried out in Chambord, where he will come to collect his devices at the end of June, an exhibition is planned at the castle in 2026. During his residency, Robert Charles Mann was able to work with schoolchildren from Huisseau-sur-Cosson and Mont-près-Chambord , while a documentary will be made on this project.
A friend named Brad Pitt
Similar photographs, which he took in the past, are exhibited all year round near the Château de Miraval, in the Var, owned by a certain… Brad Pitt. The famous American actor and director has been a friend of Robert Charles Mann for around fifteen years and shares with him a passion for photography: “Brad Pitt is not a professional photographer but he is creative and he has an eye, as they say in French. »
The adopted Loir-et-Chérien, who is also a music composer for cinema and television, notably produced the music for the film Ad Astraby Brad Pitt, released in 2019. As with photography, he sometimes creates his own musical instruments. “There are similar things between the two for me: if you listen to my music, you will understand my images. »
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