KODAMA: Spirit of the forest

“Auprès de mon arbre, je vivais heureux, j’aurais jamais dû le quitter des yeux…” sang Brassens. These words had a logical echo with the approach of the work presented. Like photography, whose etymological meaning is “to write with light”, the tree is a writer: its growth rings tell us the story of the climatic events it has experienced. Through its ability to create a link between heaven and earth, isn’t the tree inviting us to rise up, without forgetting our roots? Anyone who has taken a solitary stroll in the forest can testify to this: this little wandering provides an undeniable feeling of well-being.

The forest is majestic. Here, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, our senses come alive. Its scents… Its sounds… Its aromas… They all take us deep inside. It’s an invitation to plenitude. But that’s not all… There’s also the meeting with Jean-Pierre, the woodcutter and friend who talks with the forest and living things. A silent philosopher whose literary culture is dizzying. When you think about how paper is made, it’s a logical progression. His tree-cutting is homeopathic and carefully thought out to respect the environment as much as possible. That’s one of the things I picked up from our discussions over the 2 years I spent working with him on his projects. This project is a bit like Davodeau’s comic strip “Les ignorants”, where each person shares their skills, their relationship with the living world and their solitude. So it’s the story of an encounter that these images capture.

In front of these photographs, it is our sensitivity and our imagination that are called upon to engage in a dialogue.