Mullens, 2004
Located on the borders of the Appalachians Mountains, land of coal and hunting games, Mullens is a small town settled between a railroad and a river. 1800 souls, seven churches, no one outside.
the city are a cross… and three loudspeakers, thanks to which the sound of chimes stream across the town, four times a day.
The main street leads to the “Wyoming Hotel”, remnants of a past time. The closing of coal mines, replaced by open cut mines, threatened traditionnal industries, unemployment,and the troops being stuck in Irak….none of these aspects seem to have weighed in on the final issue in last November’s presidential vote.
No particular event or news led Mullens’ choice. Apart from the fact that this town is located in the heart of a state (with a distinctive social history: workers’ movement “Mother Jones”, former New Deal stronghold) and which has always voted for the democratic candidate, apart from the last two presidential elections.
Just the wish to encounter another America, and to try to understand its codes, far from the New York or Washington hustle.
Hurricanes, 2005
One month after the passing of Katrina, the streets of New Orleans are strewn with rubbish and abandoned cars.
The inhabitants have fled the city. Today some return to their homes and often find nothing worth keeping.
Floods of dirty water coming from a score of sewage plants, continue to sweep in the city. It is estimated that 160 000 homes have sustained irreparable damage.
On september the 24th, only a few weeks after Katrina, an other hurricane – Rita – arrived on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. And in a few hours, it wiped-out a region located farther west, between Texas and Louisiana.
Dickinson College, 2007
Philippe Brault documented the life of Dickinson College, one of America’s oldest university of liberal arts located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Between the dining hall, the classes, sports and religious practices, Philippe Brault portrays the well-established rituals of the American University, the typical campus, and the lifestyle of young Americans during their years of university.
Pennsylvanie, election week in USA, 2008
—
Hôtel Paul Delaroche
58 rue Saint Lazare, 75009 Paris
+33 1 53 01 85 85
—
