DAMIEN BLOTTIÈRE

WOAH. I have been paying attention to Damien's work for a good while, but everytime I see new work from him, it feels just as fresh and exciting. A 'WOAH' felt more than appropriate to start this post with.
Damien has been building up a steady portfolio of editorial work over the last few years, working for magazines such as Dazed & Confused, I.T Post, Commons & Sense, Purple Fashion and being a fashion editor for Mixte. He has collaborated with Bernhard Willhelm and worked for Pierre Hardy, Paule Ka, Stella Mc Cartney and Carven

More after the jump . . .







(all above images of Calvin Klein Collection for Dazed & Confused, styled by Robbie Spencer)



Describing himself as a photographer / collage artist, or a “Imagery Hand Maker”, Damien uses the camera to get raw materials for his subject, then works on cutting these up to transform the images into an incredibly refreshing and unique style of image.

While the narrow-minded could argue that this 'cut n' paste' technique is nothing new, his appreciation and understanding of form, figure and composition really do give his work a unique and beautiful approach not seen before in the fashion publishing industry. It gives me great pleasure seeing his work regurlarly used for editorials, when magazines seem to be increasingly shy of trying new approaches in terms of content. Remiscient of the work of Jean Paul Goude's cut ups, Damien's work is about more about creating an imageform with it's own identity that's seperate to the original photography.












Here's a small handful of interesting excerpts from interviews here, you'll have to forgive me for forgetting to write down the sources I got them from :-s


"It’s about collages. It’s also about bodies. I love the human body, every types, and I try to go underneath. I’m not the one who is looking at subjects, I would prefer to go in them, pushing their skin limits through the collage process. I try to turn a reality into my own fantasy, making it mine. Fetishistic in a way.

I’ve always been interested in images. I’ve started to play with a camera when I was very young. I was fascinated by my father’s little analog camera which seemed so complicate to use to me at that time. Later, I’ve started to buy fashion magazines as well as, secretly, vintage porn publications (the best way I found then to look at bodies). I was looking at them for hours.Years after, I had the chance to meet talented photographers. Looking at them working I’ve started thinking: “this is what I really want to do!¨ But I don’t really consider myself as a photographer. I feel I make images by hands more than taking pictures.

It’s about collages even if the final result is a photography. It’s also about bodies. Unique, I don’t know but personal probably. I’ve always been fascinated by bodies. I love the human body, every types, and I try to go underneath. I’m not the one who is looking at subjects, I would prefer to go in them, pushing their limits through the collage process. I try to turn a reality into my own fantasy, making it mine.


I follow the skin, the clothes, the bones, the muscles, the shape of face and body parts, all the silhouette aspects.
I need to be alone and let my hands start to do their work. It’s happening between the subject images and I. I try to translate or sum up what the subject told me or what I wish he could tell.


It’s about being alone most of the time."