"Multiple Perspectives" series examines the relationship between architecture, city and human in the city—through photography.

Our fourth guest is Edouard Sepulchre. He has been working in advertising for years and shifted to photography aiming to try something “falling in between art and documentary”.

“I put together a small series of photos taken in the US and the outskirts of Paris. When placed side by side, one could believe that these photos were taken within close proximity.”

You started your career in advertising and changed it into photography. What was the emerging reason behind your decision?
I found the intellectual component of my work rather interesting, but over the years I began taking issue with its end purpose. Things were getting a little too comfortable, until one day it occurred to me that my line of work could not constitute a lifelong project. I had to try myself out at something else, something falling in between art and documentary.

You traveled from the US to Paris to capture surprising details. What are the differences between the suburbs of these two distinct landscapes?
While the American West has absolutely nothing to do with the outskirts of Paris, I found parallels could be drawn under certain conditions. The major difference between these two landscapes is the scale and space of things. In Paris it is much more complicated to find the right distance, constructions are closer and more vertical by design. Furthermore, the graphic nature of Paris is uniformly impregnated with the past and therefore more classical in its style. When it comes to modern architecture, it does not always coincide with my photographic interests. So I have to actively look for things and places that resonate with me.

To illustrate my response to your question, I put together a small series of photos taken in the US and the outskirts of Paris. When placed side by side, one could believe that these photos were taken within close proximity. The images share graphic similarities, even if only isolated to a single detail. And this is enough to create that sense of unity between subjects located thousands of miles apart.

Why wideness and horizontal lines take such an important place in your works?
Large open spaces and endless horizons are synonymous with freedom and the appeal of the unknown. It is also very cinematographic-like. I do not only shoot empty landscapes. I am interested in capturing some trace of human presence.

Do you think your images reflect the pure reality or do they have a fictional side?
Reality is the raw material, but the end purpose is to create that imaginary space. This artistic approach is not original. But each of us will have our own recipe to create a parallel world that becomes ours. To encourage pensiveness and reverie, I like for there to be a few narrative ingredients present in the series.

Warm, pale, and inviting tones in your urban images can be described as a common feature. How did you develop your style?
First and foremost, I look for interesting lighting often solar in nature. In post-production, I make a few chromatic adjustments to obtain a satisfying image. I try not to tweak the photo too much. The idea is to fall in an in-between with a chroma not entirely faithful to reality but without appearing artificial nor exaggerated.