Les Chimères

The city of lights, love, and leisure - Paris. It has historically called travelers to it like a siren to a fisherman with promises of romance and luxury. For example, Life magazine's June 1950 issue included a spread that depicts couples kissing across the country and reads, "In Paris young lovers kiss wherever they want to and nobody seems to care." The spread is one of many media examples that has fueled this belief in Paris being the city of love and created a reputation surrounding the city. It is this esteemed reputation and promise which has led many idealistic travelers, including myself, to the streets of Paris.

As an American, I admit I have a naïve vision of romance and adventure when I think of the city of lights; the vision comes from the many imagery and movies popular in the United States, such as Midnight in Paris or Funny Face. This fantasy is why I decided to include myself in this project. The project, Les Chimères, which translates from French to English as imaginations and illusions, brings this idealistic Paris to life. For the images, I aim my camera towards scenes and narratives that speak to me and expunge a nostalgia for Paris. These scenes and narratives include couples kissing, spending afternoons at cafes, and dancing the night away. They also include my own staged images of me and my partner as well as my parents throughout the city to help weave and connect the narrative. However, while it brings the idealistic Paris fantasy to life, it also aims to question this preconceived notion of how a particular city can offer us happiness of a feeling of romance solely based on a naïvely believed reputation. The series does this through the use of staged images interweaved with candid street photography. While the romanticism of Paris can be seen and documented by walking through the streets, the true experience I as an American, as well as my parents, wish to have must be sought out and staged.

The medium for display is a black and white printed polaroid to further explore the idea of nostalgia surrounding time and place. It also subjects the viewer to the idea that perhaps nostalgia is not about the time or place at all but rather the singular objects or themes present during that time and what they represent to the viewer. Do the images evoke nostalgia or is it the polaroid itself? Or perhaps it is the desire to believe in a chimère altogether.