The project Danser comme une pierre sauvage. Être une sirène révolutionnaire (Dancing like a wild stone. Being a revolutionary mermaid) by Marie Rime is part of an exploration of the image of a second self, at the crossroads between the figures of the Marseilles Tarot and more contemporary references, by three secondary school classes from the Lycée Marc Bloch (Val-de-Reuil, Eure).

For several years, Marie Rime’s highly graphic photographic work has focused on masks and silhouettes. Recently, she produced a series of photographs featuring herself on stage, for a theater in Switzerland. In this series of photographs, produced with a great economy of means, Marie Rime manages to develop a variety of colorful silhouettes, imbued with the pre-war avant-garde aesthetics of the Bauhaus and the figures of Oskar Schlemmer.

This series of two-week workshops is an extension of the artist’s research, an exploration of an imaginary world as ancient as it is contemporary. For this project, conceived for the Lycée Marc Bloch, the artist proposes to draw inspiration from the allegorical figures of the Tarot de Marseille, blending them with the students’ contemporary references to create the image of their imaginary alter ego. The students were first guided in the construction of their imaginary alter ego, drawing on the symbolism of primary colors, simple shapes and various representations in art history. Using their idols and sources of inspiration, they were able to create an allegory of themselves, then work on the associated symbolism, posture and décor to “embody” this alter ego. Once this initial representation was complete, the artist photographed it and printed it so that each student could retouch his or her photograph by hand. Collages, adhesives and markers were used to add a plastic touch to their image.

Two classes took part in the photographic and retouching workshop, producing 55 imaginary alter egos, linked by the same graphic identity. The third class was asked to create the backgrounds, the library of shapes and colors used by their classmates as attributes of their imaginary alter egos, and the scenography for the intermediate exhibition of the 55 photographs. A temporary exhibition showcased all the work produced during the two-week workshop.

These two weeks of reflection, experimentation, discovery and collective creation culminated in a deck of cards featuring the students’ images.

Dancing like a wild stone. Être une sirène révolutionnaire (Being a revolutionary mermaid) is a series of photographic workshops conducted by artist Marie Rime with three secondary school classes from the Lycée Marc Bloch in Val-de-Reuil (Eure), March 2023.

The project is supported by the Centre photographique Rouen Normandie, co-financed by the Direction régionale des affaires culturelles de Normandie and the Lycée Marc Bloch de Val-de-Reuil as part of the Jumelages-résidences d’artiste program.