The Flying Houses
The Flying Houses, begun in 2006, is a poetic vision of Paris through which the author questions his era with documentary, aesthetic and intimate concerns. Inspired by poor and cosmopolitan neighborhoods, he isolates these buildings from their urban context and frees them from the anonymity of the street to tell the life, dreams and hopes of these inhabitants. Nostalgia for a lost time also feeds this work of memory. Resurrecting buildings from the past, he tries to rediscover the taste of childhood and innocence. It is also a wonderful pretext to invite these inspirations as Jules Verne, Hayao Miyazaki, Albert Robida, Moebius, Bruce Davidson, Robert Doisneau, Willy Ronis, Wim Wenders, Federico Fellini, William Klein, Jean Cocteau and Marcel Carné. These photomontages of hundreds of elements assembled like a puzzle are shown in large format and allow the curious observer to discover hidden details by offering several readings. From afar, these fragile vessels appear carefree and dreamy. Up close, the story is more complex. The artist uses this distance to offer different points of view and warn against preconceived ideas. Love, drama, laughter and tears… everything is intertwined in this human comedy. Laurent Chéhère gives us some keys, yet these Flying Houses remain open to everyone’s interpretation and imagination.
These first flying houses in the series were photographed by chance in the street, and the photomontage was rudimentary, composed of about ten elements. Limited by the lack of definition and the size of the sensor of his Canon 5D Mark II, he changed his method and decided to create a gigantic puzzle. He now photographs a facade in several pieces to obtain an even more detailed result. These latest works measure 2 x 2 meters and use hundreds of photos. His Photoshop files can contain 1,500 layers and weigh 32 gigabytes.
He defines his technique as artisanal. He begins by drawing a form, like a sculptor who begins his work with a rough sketch. He then photographs and searches through his vast image library for fragments of facades, roofs, gutters, dirt, graffiti, chimneys, windows, tiles, reflections, frost, statues, typography, rust, drips, shadows, antennas, satellite dishes, snow, and traces of time. Interiors are photographed separately with the meticulousness and attention to detail of a theater set designer. He tries on curtains, tapestries, lighting fixtures, furniture, and toys. Famous people are found on the internet and then retouched because the images are too poor quality to be used. He is forced to photograph a model and reconstruct a face with a satisfactory complexion. He draws inspiration from books and websites on the subject and adds light reflections to the eyes. Sometimes he has to make part of the flying house as a model, then paint it to achieve the desired light reflections. He might start a work with daylight and decide, after six months of editing, to create evening light… this involves changing all the light returns on the facade, the figures, etc. He might also decide it's snowing and everything needs to be changed. It's a permanent work in progress. These works are never finished; it's a definitive word whose meaning he tries to ignore. He might add scenes years later… like a building changing hands. He doesn't try to move quickly; his process takes time, time to explore all possible ideas, time to open all the drawers of a huge piece of furniture… with drawers.
