PFor a month and a half, photographer Mathilde Fraysse was hosted at the Maison François-Méchain des Églises-d’Argenteuil. During her residency, she worked on testimonies from women, aged over 70, living in the Vals de Saintonge. “We spoke face-to-face, without time limits. I collected their thoughts, took photos of them. I also photographed accessories from their home,” says the Tullist.
With confidence, Mathilde knows how to put them at ease, these women have lifted the veil on their existence, shared anecdotes. “When I started these interviews, I didn’t know what it would become,” continues the young woman. These unique encounters gave birth to a touching book: “They don’t see that we’re young too.” In the preface, the Corrézienne announces: “These texts come from the words of women, collected before taking photographs in their homes and of them. They are most of the time the result of a first meeting, often the one where we try to say what is essential about ourselves. »
Preserving the secrecy of words
The artist collected verbatim statements from these septuagenarians and classified them into 29 themes. Very bright photos of decorative elements, taken in the homes of the women interviewed, reinforce testimonies which can be heavy… but also funny and surprising. “The floral, pastel, velvety decor, embellished with fabrics, softened the harshness of the speech. All these trinkets, these little flowers, then took on another meaning than that of mere decoration,” believes the artist.
The author wanted to preserve the secrecy of the words. We do not know who said a particular sentence, just as the reader cannot know where the photos were taken. For example, we can read very simple sentences that hit the mark: “I love you. It’s important to say it to yourself, but not just any old way. » Or again: “When there are no secrets, there is no reason why it should not work. » And even: “But it is always the woman who decides, we know that well. » Women open up, criticize, while loving men.
At Eden in February
This book, on sale for 15 euros at the Jeux de page bookstore in Saint-Jean-d’Angély, offers bursts of tenderness but also reveals the strength of character of these women, often rendered invisible. The Saintongeais will have the opportunity to discover the work of Mathilde Fraysse on February 14 at Eden, during an evening co-organized with the Angérien Association of Artistic Action (A4). “I will present my book and I will also display the portraits of the women interviewed,” reveals the photographer who will also soon return in residence at Maison François-Méchain. “This time I will work on the theme of the relationship between the father and his teenage daughter,” announces Mathilde Fraysse. The fruit of this work will be visible next September in Saint-Jean-d’Angély.
