Le Vide (The Void)

Through darkness, the light we find shines brighter and we see in new ways. 

This series was inspired by my own process through grief, after losing my mom to cancer at the young age of 60. Feeling completely overwhelmed by pure darkness after such a loss, I very slowly began to notice how much brighter spots of joy felt in contrast to that deep dark. Amidst the pain I began to see beauty, too, in how my grief showed the depth of my love for my mom, in the sweet fragility of life, and how this stark contrast is what makes us truly human. With this series I wanted to explore this journey of entering into dark places and instead of turning away from the fear of the void, stepping fully into it and seeing what richness can be found there. 

My aim was to explore with my subjects, what feelings darkness brings, and what is seen when we have only little light to illuminate.

The images were shot in a very old cellar in Arles, France in complete blackout with just tiny pinpoints of light (using punctured aluminum over set lights). I set up the space to create a very comfortable, nurturing environment as best I could for the subjects, to help them relax into the darkness, to allow them to be a bit more vulnerable. Each subject was asked the question: 

// What does the dark evoke for you? //

You can find each subject’s answer at the bottom of the page.