Dan AucanteAs he search his memory for those values, he rediscover his past, in which his own child is the anonymous actor of those moments suspended in time. Then come the emotions of the present, that of a father contemplating the childhood of his son, who is building his own personality and expressing his own desires through his imagination and sense of wonder. And lastly, there is the future, the questions over the inexorable passing of time, the fears of facing inescapable losses, the passing of generations.
The three time factions are deliberately timeless. Through childhood, they take us on the path of life, of our life.
I was. The dawn of a new life where time bends perception.
The past fades out, some moments need memory, establishment…
We are. His son expresses himself through emotions. He is a child of the present and of the future He convey the delight of the moment. He has the choice of the gesture.
He is also his descendant…
They will. Time of maturity, and maybe of wisdom…
But also an irreversible march.
A new cycle… The pains’ parents face time erosion.
Q&A with Dan Aucante
Photography is…
Photography stops time. When time is stopped by the photographer, life, people, things are locked into a timeless space of memory. When later, you reopen this memory box, you are traveling once again through space and time. A photography taken in the present already belongs to the past. We can imagine that in a thousand years, the photography will stop time in the same way. That’s why it is fascinating : we are at the beginning of a recording for eternity. But a question arises: could we believe in that memory if photography already existed thousands of years ago?
Photography and writing…
Writing does not make up for photographic poverty.
Writing should leave distance between the observer and the photography.
Who left the biggest impression on you?
My first passion is Henri Cartier Bresson, particularly until 1936 before he created Magnum when he was closed to the surrealist. With regards to portraits, Richard Avedon and Auguste Sander have always fascinated me. Some books have marked me more than entire Works of a photographer. «New York 54-55» from William Klein or «Mala Noche» from Antoine d’Agata. I also discovered the marvelous «Sound of running summer» from Raymond Meeks. I would also named: Anders Petersen, Emet Gowin , Juan Manuel Castro Prietro, Debbie Flemming Cafery, Petti Sammallahti, Mickael Ackerman for his mystery and Klavdij Sluban for the purity of the silence in his image.
Of course in the history of the photography there is many more photographers who’s impressionned
me.
Tell us a little about yourself
A photographer’s work is shaped by curiosity, his encounters and initiatives. The starting of a new set can be triggered by a group of elements. I have some ideas, but no career plan in mind. I am instinctive. The continuation of my photography will look a lot like my life. I am considering a return to the roots, a homecoming, landscapes and a set of portraits, always in black and white.
Dan Aucante (www.danaucante‐photography.com) Né à Montluçon, Dan Aucante découvre la photographie en observant son père passionné par cette activité. À l’âge de 25 ans il décide de parcourir le monde. Dès lors, sa passion pour la photographie sera principalement destinée à l’être humain. En 1997, il s’installe à Paris et devient photographe indépendant pour la presse et les institutions dans le domaine du portrait et du spectacle vivant.
