Francoise Lerusse
Photography
The Spirit of Forms 2
In this series, which has as its object—but not as its subject—design and architecture, I explore the transformative power of photography. By experimenting with light, shadows, contrasts, angles, perspectives, and double exposure, I reduce objects to simple graphic forms. In this way, I reconstruct geometric but living spaces—because I always start from emotion. This work of reduction, sometimes bordering on abstraction, is partly influenced by Rodchenko, El Lissitzky, and Florence Henri in particular.
In this process, chairs, tables, lamps, and staircases are freed from their status as practical and functional objects, opening up to uncertainty or ambivalence. From this doubt emerge new forms, subjective and poetic, whose understanding is left to the viewer. This is what I call "the spirit of forms."
These transformations have no purpose other than themselves. Just as design and architecture attempt to harmonize the human environment, with these photographs I try to create a timeless universe aimed at overcoming the chaos of the world.
In this series whose object- but not subject- is design and architecture, I experiment with the medium of photography. Working with light, shadow, contrast, angles, perspectives, double exposure, I reduce objects to simple graphic shapes. In this way I re-construct geometric but living spaces - as I always start from emotion. This playful and reductive work, sometimes at the limits of abstraction is partly influenced by former experimental artists and photographers like Rodtchenko, El Lissitzky and Florence Henri among others.
In this process chairs, tables, lamps, stairs are freed from their status of practical and functional objects, opening to uncertainty or ambivalence. From the doubt new entities emerge, subjective and poetic, the understanding of which is left to the beholder. This is what I call “L’esprit des lettres” (“soul of forms”).
These transformations have no other purpose than themselves. Just as design and architecture attempt to harmonize the human environment, I try with these photographs to create a timeless universe aiming to overcome the chaos of the world.





