French photographer Julie Hascoët documents the visual dialogue between two phenomena: The visible remains of the German Atlantic Wall, including bunkers and blockhaus, which cover the coastline of Brittany on a permanent basis; and the ‘free parties’ emerging spontaneously in the countryside and on the coast, before immediately disappearing. This project is translated into a series of photographs, installations and independent publications.
»From Tréguennec to the Pointe Saint-Mathieu, coastal roads are marked by numerous concrete constructions. These grey stark structures dot the landscape while taking on the special status of cumbersome ruins« explains Douarnenez-based photographer Julie Hascoët. »Very few maps indicate their geographical location. Partly covered with wild vegetation, sunk into the earth, facing the ocean, those colossal and massive silhouettes withstand time and oblivion.«
In remote countryside, in the same territory, outside towns or along the coast, free parties appear. For a night or two, deserted sheds, factories, and abandoned sites become the scene of wild parties in Brittany. Throughout a large pile of sheets, tents, generator sets, and convoys of trucks, French photographers captured the strange beauty of these illegal gatherings, called The Walls of Sound by the artist. »These parties are an island of freedom for some, and no-go areas for others. Their ephemeral and clandestine nature allow them to perpetuate and continually rebirth. Every weekend, the party goes to another place, held in secret locations until the last hour.«
This series of pictures offer a rare and exclusive glimpse into a territory and its’ occupation. It works on three main common notions: Wall, Cartography and Resistance. »This project also suggests a poetic walk on isolated, interstitial, and open places which draw the landscape of Brittany.«
Discover more about Julie Hascoët’s work on her website.
