This summer, the Café de la Paix is displaying on its walls the photos of Vincent Alliot, who took a shine to this emblematic place in the city and those who frequent it.
When he entered the Peace Café, he had a flash. The heady idea of freezing moments of life in this café not quite like the others. A way for Vincent Alliot to take a break. His break too. Left Rodez when he was 18, he returned 48 years later, after a life spent in the world of architecture and art. “The Café de la Paix existed, but I didn’t come there,” smiles the man who six months after this “flash” is now exhibiting at the Café de la Paix. “We have some photographers passing through here, but he held on to his project, didn’t let go, and I really liked it,” breathes Marie, the owner of the place.
The Café de la Paix has existed in Rodez for over a century. And remains an institution. A slightly different place, where you are welcomed as you are. Where you can laugh over nothing, concentrate on crosswords, stare out into an unfathomable horizon. “Instantly fascinated by the place, the atmosphere, the words and the regular clientele, I decided to keep a photographic diary of the place,” explains Vincent Alliot. It is with his iPhone that he takes his photos which he will print in black and white.
“I quickly felt that here it was like a big family”
He quickly blended into the background to better capture candid moments that he shot in black and white and which are worth the detour. Sonia, Pat, Fellut, Jojo and all the others, everyone who appears in these photos did not think long before giving their consent. Hanging on the cafe’s picture rails, they become even more part of the walls. “I quickly felt that here, it was like a big family… and I wanted to share in one way or another this moment that I experienced while coming here,” explains Vincent Alliot.
The Café de la Paix has therefore taken on a new look with this photo exhibition. Diversity, humanity, tolerance, simplicity, respect, modesty, affection, friendship, are the words that resonate with the author of these photos in front of his exhibition. Words that make “peace”.
