In the monastery, the individual body and the community body are conceived in unison, respectful of the rule and out of sight. If the value and implications of this choice of existence find little echo or vocation today, we can affirm that it leaves no one indifferent; for the desire to humbly abandon oneself to something higher than oneself, with the intention of experiencing inner freedom, runs counter to the zeitgeist.
The recent pandemic and the phantasm of the virtuous revolution that many were calling for - based on the idea of a return to essential values and greater solicitude in society - should enable us to take a fresh look at monastic isolation and asceticism.
Documentary photography puts the value of the moment, in silence, into lasting perspective. Contemplative in nature, with a broad symbolic register, it invites introspection and transcendence. Invited to join the enclosure and take part in fraternal life as an observer for several weeks, the photographer, aware of his privilege, doesn't have to lose himself in conjecture in developing his approach, and is fully satisfied with the analogies that present themselves to him. Like the monk he observes and imitates, he walks, meets and studies in search of knowledge and understanding, and works in the hope of universal sharing.
Commissioned by the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Canton de Fribourg, this photographic survey of cloistered communities was carried out in 2022. Echoing the way of life and philosophy of monasticism, the background and form of the images draw on tradition to better invest the present. We rediscover the contours of the representation of the sacred and universal metaphysical themes.
Write to the author: nicolas.brodard@leregardlibre.com
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