Unexpected Photo Essay on Cortázar, Paris and his readers

<p> The story is a series of portraits, taken in Paris, of friends and readers of Cortázar.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The work is <strong>visual, playful and participative.</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Each of the 70 participants had to:</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>a. </strong>Choose a fragment of the novel <em>Hopscotch</em> that mentions a place in Paris</p> <p> <strong>b. </strong>Have their portrait taken in the chosen site Explain why they chose it</p> <p> <strong>c. </strong>The project seeks to create a hopscotch of images that weaves together the personal stories of participants with Cortázar and Paris.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="1_passarello_nicolas-1408534251" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/113999/1_Passarello_Nicolas-1408534251.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Why Cortázar now?</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Because 2014 is the 100th anniversary of his birth and 30th of his death. I wanted to join the wave of celebrations and carry out a project to discover his readers and the city where he wrote most of his books.</p> <p>  </p> <p> But how could I do an unexpected work about a narrator of unexpected stories? How could I avoid repeating the eternal system of articles, interviews, chronologies, walking through the same old angles?</p> <p>  </p> <p> I tried an answer by basing my narration on three central concepts: <strong>visual, playful and participative.</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>1. </strong>The photo essay had to be a <strong>dialogue between texts and images</strong>.</p> <p> <strong>2. </strong>It had to be <strong>playful</strong> just like a hoptscotch.</p> <p> <strong>3. </strong>And <strong>participative</strong> like <em>Hoptscotch</em> a book that required the participation and complicity of the reader.  It could be read from beginning to end or following a predetermined order of chapters to discover a second story.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The set guidelines were straightforward: the participant had to choose a passage of the book <em>Hopscotch</em> that mentions a place in Paris, and explain his/her preference for this passage and place.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The photos were taking in black and white as wink to the passage of time, to the half a century that passed since the publication of <em>Hopscotch</em>.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Why “unexpected”?</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> I aspire to deliver participants and readers an unexpected experience.</p> <p>  </p> <p> There is not one prearranged narrative sequence but many. They depend on the participants’ decisions and in the readers’ choices.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The story got written as participants chose their passages and places.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The audience will find several possible readings when “playing” with the images.</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>The photo essay can be experienced in three formats</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>1. </strong>Its online version, here <a href="http://www.hugopassarello.com/rayuela/" target="_blank">www.hugopassarello.com</a><a href="http://www.hugopassarello.com%20" target="_blank"> </a></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong><strong>2. </strong></strong> It also “fits” into a book-object format. Seven numbered envelopes and one stone are kept inside a book shaped cardboard box. The envelopes represent the hopscotch’s squares. Each conceals a photo.  The reader has to display them like a hopscotch and then throw the stone to play and unveil the stories hidden within each envelope.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>3.</strong> The third format is the exhibition. Under each photo hangs a booklet with the participants’ name. The visitor opens it to discover the chosen place, fragment and the participant’s story.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="2_passarello_mosner-1408534291" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/114001/2_Passarello_Mosner-1408534291.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Info on the photo essay</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Dates: </strong>Photos were taken between September 2013 and August 2014.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Participants</strong>: 70 people participated. Among those portrayed are close friends of Cortázar, such as <strong>Julio Silva</strong>, his best friend, who chose to be photographed by the writer’s grave, in Montparnasse cemetery, decorated with a sculpture done by Silva and chosen by Cortázar just before his death.</p> <p>  </p> <p> They also participated: painter <strong>Antonio Seguí</strong>, writers <strong>Martín Kohan</strong>, <strong>Alberto Manguel</strong>, <strong>Pablo De Santis</strong>, <strong>Ana María Shua</strong>, <strong>Tununa Mercado</strong>, el cartoonist <strong>Rep</strong>, among others.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Exhibitions</strong>: The photo essay has been exhibited <a href="http://www.hugopassarello.com/two-pre-exhibitions-paris-photoreportage/">in two libraries in Paris</a>, in the <a href="http://www.hugopassarello.com/pre-photo-exhibition-photo-coverage-cortazar/">Maison de la Culture de Neuilly-Sur-Seine</a>, in the Audiovisual Centre of Rosario (Argentina), in <a href="http://www.hugopassarello.com/summer-exhibit-unexpected-photo-essay-cortazar/">Café el Sur</a>.</p> <p>  </p> <p> In the next few months it will be also be exposed in <a href="http://www.mairie10.paris.fr/">Paris City Hall, of 10eme  arrondissement</a> (September 15th to October 4th) and in the <a href="http://www.casaargentinaenparis.org/">Argentine Student Residency in Paris</a> (November 17th to 28th).</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Press</strong>: The work has been feature in a <a href="http://www.hugopassarello.com/unexpected-photo-essay-cortazar-france-culture/"><em>documentary on Cortázar broadcasted in French national radio France Culture</em></a>.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="9_passarello_maru-1408557976" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/114141/9_Passarello_Maru-1408557976.jpg"></p>