Review of Mélissa Longpré’s recent book published in the photo book column of the Webzine de Ciel variable.
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Mélissa Longpré’s third book, J’ai pensé à toi, is composed of photographs, drawings, and messages involving a collection of birds that she has assembled over the years. The book was created in conjunction with three exhibitions presented by Longpré in Quebec City and Montreal in 2024.
For more than ten years, during her walks in the country and the city, Longpré has collected the carcasses, bones, and feathers of birds that struck windows or were victims of predators. She keeps these remains in the freezer or in the studio, when they are dry and free of flesh, along with other found objects. She carefully photographs this material in compositions inspired by window displays.
In the exhibition at the alley gallery Hangar 7826, the photographs and drawings, as well as how they are grouped in the space, are reminiscent of the arrangement of specimens in a museum. In the immaculate, dynamic photobook, the presentation methods produce a completely different effect. Through its pages a narrative emerges around how one looks at the subjects in private, where they are discovered, their place in the studio, and the mindful attention that Longpré pays to them.
To continue reading : https://cielvariable.ca/jai-pense-a-toi-une-collection-doiseaux-par-melissa-longpre-marie-perrault/