Artist Statement
I photograph the changing urban environment, the work in progress that never seems to end, I try to understand the cause of transformation of the places within the reach of my lens. To me , a building is just a building, I am not attracted to one over another. What makes architecture fascinating to me is the social context it provides, and I wait for all human activity to stop in order to give structures center stage. The streets in my images are not devoid of people, they just happen to be empty as I click the shutter. My images are about the stillness provided by the architecture that surrounds us, the stories I tell imply human activity, just not right now. Time moves slowly around buildings, and I know my images barely show a short slice of their lives. To me, my camera is just a tool to document the reality of our societies as they are today.
laurent girard got interested in the techniques of the photographic process at an early age. since then he's always been looking for different ways to make images. laurent moved to new york in the late 80's to pursue his passion and study film and photography at the school of visual arts. once in new york, laurent started to show his work in galleries and restaurants, as well as printing professionally. through the 1990's he also shot many assignments for several publications , from portraits to fashion, theater, as well as the food industry.
laurent then became the owner of lexington photo labs in new york, making prints for artists and photographers, and soon after co-founded (t)here magazine where he published a wide range of collaborative projects. he has been printing large scale silver gelatin fiber prints for griffin editions until 2020, when he moved to los angeles, working on his own photography, documenting urban environments and architecture.
laurent also writes a printer's life. a blog about his experiences in the darkroom.
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