#facesplaces

[butmarawhy]

Madonna. Johannesburg, South Africa. 2016

[photographyatmit]

Blogpost #10-a

Faces Places was a lovely story about the unexpected combo of Agnes Varda and JR. As they traverse the French countryside to do their monumental pastings, we get an intimimate look into their personal relationship, and the process by which they arrive at their projects. I thought it was wonderful to see two wholly different artists come together on such a large project to work to create something special and emblematic of the communities they visited. It's certainly refreshing to see such empathetic works being created, which focus on the celebration of oft neglected rural communities. Their way of deciding on a project by simply speaking with the residents of an area to see what's currently going on in the area was super interesting as well. It was clear that Agnes and JR both had considerable experience with this kind of thing, and the depth of memory that Agnes displayed throughout the movie was also impressive.

[photographyatmit]

blogpost #10-A

I found the movie Faces Places to be a very quaint and heartwarming documentary of a project and friendship between Agnes Varda and JR. I was instantly drawn to the humorous and honest personality of Agnes; it is clear that she has experienced more in her life than most people have and that she carries her experiences as wisdom as the walks through later life. She has a rich personality and fun ideas for her photography. JR also proved to be an entertaining character, almost a caricature of himself with his sunglasses constantly on.

I found their works within their project to be mostly interesting for the stories and subjects they highlighted moreso than the images created and pasted. While the scale and process was certainly impressive, I did not think all the photographs chosen were necessarily the most artistically novel. One piece that I did particularly enjoy was the photograph of the man Agnes knew pasted on the piece of bunker that had been pushed from a cliff to the beach below. I was struck by JR’s insistence that they go forward with their work despite the incoming tide and knowledge that their image would be gone by the next day. I thought that added an interesting dimension to the project series, as the other works aimed to draw attention in large and somewhat lasting way. The beach bunker piece, however, was only meant to occupy a small place in time and had little audience other than the ocean. Thus, I enjoyed the breath within the work and the portrayals in the film.

[photographyatmit]

Blogpost #10-a

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Faces Places, which featured Agnes Varda and JR. I particularly enjoyed their lighthearted interactions with each other. I appreciated how they took photos - from the past and present - and put them on buildings to increase awareness of the building itself and of the surrounding community. The photos ranged from very personal - inspiring personal memoirs by Varda - to photos of strangers they had just met. It would be interesting to know how they put the pictures up, since in the documentary they just skimmed over it. To be fair, the construction of the photos was not the main focus of the film. Rather, it was the journey Varda and JR went on together.

[photographyatmit]

BlogPost #10-a

Faces Places is a heartwarming tale of passion and boldness, in the form of a travel log of a young and an old photographer. Agnes Varda, 88, is a skilled photographer with a failing eye, and JR, 33, is a photographer who makes his mark by pasting images on buildings, walls, etc. Together, they embark on a journey of creativity, as they explore different people, communities and villages and paste their images in these places; my favorite was the image of a horned goat, set to contrast the standard of burning horns in goat farms. They also pasted images of brave women in docks with mostly male workers and a picture of another photographer on a German bunker from WW2.

Much can be said about the beautiful narrative of the film and the connection between Varda and JR, but my interest is in their work, i.e., pasting images in the world. It is a departure from what we’ve typically considered; their pasted images are not printable and sharable. They are more akin to statues than photos. In fact, I think of them as 2D photorealistic statues. In that sense, they inherit the same traits of physical art; greatly appreciated at arm’s reach, but harder to sense beyond that. This is beautiful in its own way, even though I prefer a more democratic medium like digital media. However, I admire their creativity and passion, and above all their dedication to actual people and their visages.

[photographyatmit]

Blogpost #xA

Faces Places captures the journey and relationship between JR and Agnes Varda as they went around France together, creating the largest art gallery on the streets. Photographer and street artist, JR was known for creating large murals of portraits on buildings. Film director Agnes Varda was known for her contributions to the development of the French New Wave movement. In the film, the two artists collaborate, creating enormous murals of factory workers on factories, dock workers on dock crates, farmers on barns, and more. Although somewhat whimsical, I found it sentimental to be able to see people as you would walk down the streets. The stories of the people shown in the film, and their willingness to participate, were also touching and added depth to the murals.

In addition to JR and Varda’s creations, I was captivated by the relationship between the two and how they viewed the art they were creating. They disagreed in that Varda appreciated JR’s work for being able to capture and remember the people she meets while JR did not envision his works lasting long term. But they did agree on the value of people and how their presence was a part of the landscape. I could feel their appreciation for human interaction and commemorating the people of the town throughout the film, making their works more impactful.

[photographyatmit]

Blogpost #10-a

Faces Places is a simple yet elegant journey of two photographers through rural France, creating portraits of people. The narrative of taking portraits of "ordinary" people was a refreshing change, something that does not pop up quite often these days. On the same note, I found the film to be very personal, stories and people all connected through Agnes and JR's mission.

On a separate note, Agnes and JR had a wholesome chemistry between themselves that made the whole narrative more enjoyable to watch. Two artists with two very different styles coming together for a collaboration that becomes much more.

[photographyatmit]

Blogpost #xA

Faces Places follows Agnes and JR as they traveled across France creating portraits of people. They encountered regular people in the countryside and made them larger than life in the form of massive portraits. These artworks were showcased on the sides of buildings for all to see. It was comical in a way to see someone peering through a window of a building decorated with a giant version of their own face. The playful nature of the relationship between Agnes and JR also fits this tone of the film. The two had very different artistic styles yet worked well together and each benefited from the other. By collaborating, the artists gained the additional gain of becoming friends, which was refreshing to watch.