Céline Clanet's latest photographic series, Ground Noise, delves into the captivating realm of insects and arthropods, exploring the concept of ground noise—an electrical and electronic signal interference often seen as a nuisance.
Through her lens, Clanet evokes primitive emotions and a sense of mystery, shedding light on the fascinating world that resides beneath our feet. Accompanying the series is the highly anticipated release of the Ground Noise monograph, published by Actes Sud, further enhancing the excitement surrounding Clanet's upcoming exhibition at the renowned Rencontres d'Arles 2023.
Fauna, with its rich diversity of insects and arthropods, elicits primal reactions within us. Even dead and preserved specimens can briefly incite fear in humans. However, admiration and recognition have gradually tempered our aversion, revealing the incredible work of ants, the beauty of butterflies and moths, and the indispensable role of bees as pollinators. Yet, the world of arthropods remains enigmatic, obscure, and occasionally unsettling.
Fascinated by this lesser-known and rarely displayed world, Céline Clanet embarks on a visual exploration, supported by the INRAE and the EPA Paris-Saclay. Her black and white series seamlessly combines photographs taken in French forests with microscopic images of organic elements collected within these ecosystems. By playing with scale, Clanet peels back the layers of the Earth's surface, inviting viewers into a strange, yet oddly familiar, realm.
"I wanted to go even further, not only exploring the visible landscape through my camera lens but also delving into the surfaces of the small organic elements I collected during my shoots. This allowed me to reveal a kind of 'infra-topography': ants, spiders, beetles, intricate insects, lichens, and more. Through collaborations with INRAE and the Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies du CNRS, both scientific entities located on the Saclay Plateau, I was able to capture views of my samples using their scanning electron microscope (SEM)" explains the Celine.
