Vivid Memories

Until I was 26, I spent every summer in Ouistreham, at the family home, which my grandparents bought in 1958. 

These are fond memories for me, full of carefree days. I was very close to my grandmother, and I loved it when she would share her memories with us around the table. Sometimes she would also tell us about the war. Originally from Maubeuge, Paulette was a teenager when World War II broke out. After fleeing her home, she lived in Ouistreham until 1943, where she met my grandfather, who was from Amiens and was also a refugee.

I realized far too late that all these memories were precious. It’s our family history, but it also tells the story of history as a whole. I began writing down these memories in a notebook, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to finish this project to preserve our memories.

That experience gave me the idea to seek out these witnesses to history and let them tell their stories before they are silenced forever.

This documentary photography project blends living memory with the memory of the land through portraits and landscape photographs.