North Light

CHristian Poncet

14. 09. 2023 – 22. 10. 2023

The North has always attracted Christian Poncet. He can’t explain it: is it the ‘monotony’ of the landscapes, flat and uniform, the changing light, or that very special atmosphere that breaks with his usual surroundings?
In 2012, he set off on a week-long journey from the Bay of the Somme to Belgium, from Cayeux-sur-mer to Ostend. “That month of May was cool and rainy, the grey sandy beaches were deserted, with only a few solitary walkers struggling to make headway against the wind in their mackintoshes. There was nothing to encourage me to take out the camera.”
“But how could I resist the colourful, haphazard shacks of Berck-plage, its outdated white buildings or, a little further on, the seafront of Stella-plage: this dark stone “wall” facing the sea, overlooked by a vast car park and a wasteland with no future – with the only guardian being this bar-restaurant with the tempting sign “frites – gaufres – crèpes”.
Since then, he has returned to the region regularly, in spring or late summer. Little by little, the images have accumulated, and now he could turn the page, go elsewhere, discover other horizons. But no, the North awaits him, for a long time to come.