Rebirth at the Edge of the Abyss

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
I just finished my first short film titled Tres Veces Doce, which I self-produced, shot in Madrid, and for which I collaborated with French artists on the music, sound design, and mixing. 

Now I’m beginning a nighttime photography project in Paris focused on restaurant diners. It’s the first time in thirteen years that I’ve worked on a series at night. I feel inspired by the ritual of dinner, the intimacy of nocturnal light, and the paintings of Edward Hopper. 

What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
With the short film I learned the entire process of making a movie, although I did it in a way completely opposite to the traditional one: I didn’t start with a script. The idea was born organically during a twelve-day trip to Madrid last summer, where instead of photographing I began filming whatever fascinated me. As the days passed, I also started filming myself.

Months later, back in Paris, I reviewed the material and realized there was a story. So I decided to edit it very intuitively, guided only by images and sounds. Once it was finished, I wrote the voiceover , and lastly came the music, sound design, and subtitles. In the end, I strengthened my connection with a very intuitive way of creating. I understood that I want to keep opening paths and possibilities in cinema, because it’s a medium that allows a much broader form of expression. 

As for night photography, I’ve learned to live with grainier, darker images, but also with an intimacy that fascinates me and that I’m only beginning to explore. 

What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
There are three words that have been on my mind lately: 

Consciousness. I seek to understand that everything around me is filled with a form of consciousness that I can connect with if I’m living in the eternal present. I’ve understood that, as an artist, I’m an instrument of a broader consciousness that, under the right conditions, uses my talents to express itself—not only to share a vision with others, but also to know myself and allow that consciousness to experience itself through that act.

Passion. That inner fire that gives me the vital energy to get up every day and do what my inner Self truly desires. Passion is the compass that guides me at every moment of my life—from the simplest things, like going for a walk or having a coffee, to more complex ones like making a film. As much as possible, I try to follow the direction of that flame which, in the eternal present, shows me the path my Self wishes to experience. 

Faith. For me it means believing in myself and in the universe. Trusting that I’m being guided, supported, and protected by my Higher Self and by the universe toward the exact place where I need to be, as long as I follow the call of my intuition and the guidance of synchronicities. 

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
I believe that in every artistic production, everything that has inspired you throughout your life slips in, consciously or unconsciously. In retrospect, I realized that in the project Venus Awakenings I was unconsciously seeking the awakening of my Anima, which according to Jung is the feminine archetype within the male psyche.

At that time I had been studying Jung for a while, and it was the first series I made with women. I understood that my subconscious was trying to transmute and connect with my weakened Anima in order to illuminate it, awaken it, and begin integrating it into my psyche. I discovered this years later, during the research for my master’s thesis at the Sorbonne, when I collaborated with a Jungian psychoanalyst in sessions based on my photographic portfolio. There she was able to read the archetypes present in my subconscious. 

What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
The hardest thing has been understanding the cycle change I’ve been immersed in over the past three years. I finally realized that my Self was asking me to open up to other forms of expression besides photography, so I could begin experimenting, creating, and completing writing and film projects.

Sometimes it’s easier to stay in your comfort zone, but my Self was inviting me to cross borders and throw myself into creating in other fields. Moving toward the unknown is always difficult; it requires courage and faith to let go and follow passion with awareness. It has been like shedding skin, where I keep the moles and freckles of my photographic self, only now I’ve added new color tones through words and moving images. 

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
Here in Paris there’s a Basque-French restaurant I love called Restaurant les Fabricants. It’s a neighborhood spot frequented only by locals. The food is exquisite and generous; the atmosphere is warm, friendly, and familiar. I’d recommend ordering their signature dish: escalope de veau montagnarde (mountain-style veal escalope), served on a bed of potatoes, topped with country ham and Cantal cheese, all covered in a mushroom sauce.

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
It would be called Rebirth at the Edge of the Abyss and the soundtrack would be by Guns N’ Roses.

Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
A photographer: Alex Webb. I love the complexity of his compositions, his use of color, and his ability to become invisible while being very close to people’s everyday lives.

A filmmaker: Wong Kar-wai. I’m fascinated by the intimacy of his films, his use of color, and above all his instinctive way of directing, far from the rigidity of a script. 

A writer: Henry Miller. I’m amazed by his talent for telling the most banal reality in an almost cinematic way; his ability to create stories that move from trivial situations to deeply spiritual and philosophical thoughts; and above all his courage and boldness in making his own life the central theme of all his work.