Stephanie Duprie Routh
photographer
Triangulation
This project invites viewers into a richly layered journey—one where the vestiges of France’s storied past unfurl like a secret map, guiding us toward hidden wonders and untold narratives. This project is deeply rooted in France’s artistic and cultural legacy, drawing direct inspiration from the photographic lineage established by Brassaï. His transformative vision—elevating everyday urban and marginal spaces into psychologically charged, narrative-rich environments—provides a critical foundation for this work.
By situating the project in France, I can merge historical intrigue with a distinctly French visual language—one grounded not in spectacle, but in nuance and suggestion. The work explores the tension between visibility and concealment, presence and memory, allowing each image to function as both document and story.
In Paris, cafés immortalized in A Moveable Feast shimmer with renewed life. The air is thick with the lingering spirit of intellectual salons—of radical ideas, forbidden loves, and fevered conversations that once reshaped culture itself. Here, I do not merely observe history; I step into its afterglow. I drift into shadowed speakeasies where whispers coil like smoke, encountering enigmatic women whose allure rivals the heroines of Chéri. These are not just references—they are portals. Through them, I explore the enduring power of feminine mystique, creative rebellion, and desire.
The journey continues southward, where forgotten chapels crumble quietly beneath open skies and windswept coasts guard secrets older than memory. Echoes of the Knights Templar linger in stone and symbol. At Château de La Napoule, enchantment and history intertwine, revealing a space where myth and architecture breathe as one. Each site becomes a living collaborator in the work—an archive of emotion, devotion, and transformation.
This project asks: What hidden currents still shape our identities? What forgotten stories are relevant today? My artistic vision is guided by a sensual sensitivity to time’s layered textures. I bring past and present into vivid, provocative dialogue. Using a camera and a pen, history becomes intimate and current. It seduces, challenges, and reclaims its relevance in today’s world. By grounding the project in France’s photographic heritage while embracing collaborative exploration, this grant enables the creation of a compelling, rigorously developed body of work that honors tradition while advancing it.
