Pop culture is gaining more and more space in the general culture of society. Whether through films, series, music or games, elements of pop culture have become increasingly present in people's daily lives. This phenomenon can be explained by the ease of access to cultural productions, as well as their ability to entertain and captivate the public.
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In 2015, while walking through the streets of Paris, where the photographer Benoit Lapray lives, the idea came to him to carry out photographic work around monuments. The idea was to stage Pop Culture heroes by integrating them into the scenery in place of existing Parisian monuments. A way to pay homage to the creators of these characters who have inspired and fueled the imagination for decades.
Due to lack of time, the photographer only started working on this project in 2018. After 2 years of work, 13 visuals were completed (divided into two distinct chapters). It's been a long wait, but the photographer is very happy to finally be able to present this work that has been in his mind for many years.
This project is the result of collaboration with 2 partners: the 95 Magenta studio (which created all the CGI elements, integrated with the photographs, of this 1st Chapter) and the CGI graphic designer Emmanuelle Vonck (who, in turn, created the CGI part of the second and third chapter).
They brought all their CGI know-how to carry out this project and magnificently managed the modeling and integration of the different characters. A huge thank you to them for their work and talent.
It is then in Paris, this “museum city” that spreads around the world, that the new series of photographs takes place. Here, frozen on huge stone pedestals, cult characters from popular culture are elevated to the category of “Monuments”. It is a way of highlighting that these fictional heroes are today part of the world's cultural heritage. Unfortunately a choice had to be made and for technical or aesthetic reasons, many characters will not be represented here. But it is a work that is far from finished, and many other characters will come from then on to complement this list, which will hopefully be as long as possible!
The photos in this series were taken “à l'ancienne”, on film. The negatives were then scanned and retouched to add CGI elements. The figurines, which served as the basis for this work, were “digitized” in the studio using the photogrammetry process. The photographer considered this series as a true image research laboratory where ancient techniques are mixed with the most modern processes. A new way of seeing photography. And perhaps a way of reconciling the purists with the avant-garde of photography ;)
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