La Flaneuse: Une Femme Parcourt La Ville
As a long term, repeat visitor to Lyon, France, I am fascinated watching people experience this city, which dates from the Gallo-Roman era to modernity. The power and presence of the monuments contrast sharply with our fleeting time in this world.
I wanted to explore that notion along with the concept of deep observation. I considered the traditional French notion of flâneur, an urbane male figure who wanders the city detached from society, keenly observing contemporary life. A feminist view suggests that women perceive and experience public space differently from men.
I wanted to flip the script, asserting myself as a woman claiming my place in the public realm. Casting myself as the flâneuse, I used my gaze to interrogate public space.
Arriving early in the morning before crowds gathered, I used long exposures and ghosting to represent myself as an ephemeral figure, understanding my impermanence. While my presence appears transitory, my perceptions are heightened, contemplating Lyon’s enduring history. In the last images in the series, the record of my presence shifts from an apparition to a phantasm as my essence dissolves into an ancient past.
Long exposure digital photographs. Archival pigment prints on Epson Hot Press Natural. 13″ x19“
2023
