Regards, the project I recently founded, took place from April 18 to 28. The project, a photo essay on the human and the beauty in the world, made me discover how beauty is perceived worldwide, but especially the various forms it can take, here and elsewhere.
The project took place in Paris. Across the world, you say? It’s because Paris is more than multicultural! This journey took me from France to Madagascar, via Spain and Algeria. Beauty, seen in Maryse's, Mathieu's, Eduardo's or Hoby’s eyes, is touching, light and brings us back to the point: it is the small things, everyday gestures, that highlight the beauty and all declensions that carries her. How do we perceive it, then?
Maryse: "What inspires me most is the beautiful, among other art. I firmly believe that art feeds the soul. All that makes me feel good, so far as any one small scene that I see, for example a painting in a museum, all this is reflected in what one is."
Eduardo: "For me, the perfect beauty is the one whose face shows and reflects inner beauty, not apparent, that exists in everyone. And above all, above all, the look. The look expresses so much ... And in this sense, a very nice person can be, to me, quite normal if his face does not say that there is in it a real beauty, generosity, inside ... And in such cases "in-itself" is dominant on appearance. But actually ... Beauty? Goodness? Intelligence? Whatever! In each of the judge ... Because beyond all that, what is important to me is that someone stays what he is; happy to have realized that giving is above all and is certain that sooner or later, he'll receive back what he gave."
Jemila: "For me, beauty is the contentment of heart and soul through the eyes. There, that's it! Because there are many beautiful things, and it is the heart that is happy when you see something beautiful."
For me, beauty, and especially on this trip, it is and it was the sunlight that illuminated our lives: these meetings, these exchanged laughs, these glances, and all the happiness that was sown on our way. Traveling the world through meetings, through human, makes you grow up. It opens our horizons, messes up our perceptions and makes us smile to the world. You return with a little of Algeria and France in the heart, with a little sun of Madagascar and Italy, and with the flavors of Spain. That marks our minds and makes us want to leave, to go to discover, ever further, ever more hollow, what beauty is to the world.
Beauty, throughout this trip, it was also all these unexpected findings: the Jardin des Plantes full of flowers (my favorite!), the leafy streets, the areas more surprising every time (multicultural, didn’t I say?), comforting cafes, charming bistros.
Traveling through beauty, it is also to open up and open our eyes to the small daily details: a flower, a smell, a warm ray of sunshine, a new favorite dish. When traveling, our senses are magnified. Everything (almost) then seems more beautiful than at home. All details of life ?are obvious, we take advantage of every moment to the thousand power. We savor every moment, as if we wanted to bring a little bit at home, to never forget.
And for you, what is beauty? And where in the world does she amaze you the most?
Mathilde Crépin-Bournival
Je suis une géographe qui souhaite raconter des histoires à travers mon objectif. Je mise sur la beauté, peu importe la forme qu’elle prend, pour vous montrer les dessous, souvent insoupçonnés, des endroits que l’on visite!