BEar YOURSELF

BEar Yourself is part of my research into the relationship between photography and the perception of our environment, focusing more specifically on ecological issues in the Ariege Pyrenees. The bear is a central figure here, crystallising tensions within the agricultural, political, tourist, militant and ecological spheres. Even though the bear gets considerable sympathy from the general public, and many stories and legends convey the idea of a special bond between our two species, the question of its presence and protection is the scene of clashes between visions of the world that seems diametrically opposed: a hierarchisation of living things versus an ethic of consideration for otherness. So rather than photographing the bear, I wanted to experiment and invite the public to put themselves in the situation of a bear for a moment. To feel the forest differently, perhaps the fear of being surprised by other humans, the infinite satisfaction of scratching your back on a tree trunk or the pleasure of drinking from running water. So many operations that invite us to move away from our anthropocentric and hierarchical visions of living things to glimpse other possible horizons.

The work is composed by 10 pictures and one to do list