I learned to track animals in the countryside of northwest France, guided by farmers and hunters who showed me how to recognize their presence through prints, hairs, and the paths they carve into the landscape. This journey was an attempt to step beyond human geography and perceive the landscape as a large mammal might.
Inspired by my friend Lena’s approach to wildlife photography, I began positioning my camera low on the tripod—“at a wild boar's height”—aligning the lens with their eye level. I bent my knees, drew close to the ground, and ventured into the dense undergrowth where wild animals find shelter during the day.
I photographed at night, starting just before dawn and ending as the first light of sunrise appeared. The series was meant to occupy the liminal space between the nocturnal rhythms of wild animals and the beginning of human daily life. My hybrid digital camera, with its highly sensitive sensor, was an essential tool, enabling me to move through and document the low-light environment much as a boar might perceive it. Serving as a prosthetic eye, the camera allowed me to immerse myself in the animal’s perspective and to translate these experiences into pictures.
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Most of the photographs in this series were taken during artist residencies in the Normandy countryside. These extended stays away from the city offered me the chance to experience time and space differently, deepening my understanding of rural life. During this time, I immersed myself in the works of philosophers and anthropologists who challenge traditional notions of “nature.” Inspired by their methodologies, I adopted an interdisciplinary approach to my work.
I also engaged with people from all walks of life—farmers, hunters, conservationists, and locals. Whether wealthy or of modest means, deeply connected to the land or not, everyone I spoke with shared vivid feelings and strong opinions about our relationship with wild animals. These conversations not only enriched my understanding but also shaped the philosophical and ethical dimensions of my photographic practice.
Wild boars, controversial in today’s world, are the focal point of this work because they represent a dual journey: one leading into the wildest parts of the countryside and another traversing the everyday rural landscapes where the ethics of coexistence between humans and other species are continually challenged.