Raymond Depardon's Olympic photos go on show in Paris

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00Next to City Hall, in the heart of Paris, Raymond Depardon gazes up at two-time gold

00:09medalist Lee Evans, fist raised to the sky.

00:14The photographer took this legendary shot at the 1968 Games in Mexico.

00:20He explains that, no matter the city or the era, the Olympics are always political.

00:27I am a photographer of the decolonization era.

00:31I started in 1960 and was told, hey, go to Algeria, Independent Ivory Coast, Senegal.

00:38And so I took all these photos there.

00:43Then as I covered the Olympics, I saw the Africans arrive at the Games, and it was magnificent.

00:50Sixteen enormous prints are displayed in the streets of Paris and around Olympic venues.

00:56The goal?

00:57To take the public on an enduring photographic journey, and tell the stories behind the shots.

01:07We had to decide on 16 locations, sometimes glass surfaces, sometimes walls, sometimes

01:12scaffolding.

01:13When we put the photos up, we immediately got the feeling of something more alive, of

01:17being in an open-air exhibition, a free museum.

01:22On each of the photos, you have a QR code.

01:23You scan it, and you get Raymond, who explains the shot to you.

01:29I took this photo in Munich, the 4-by-400-meter relay.

01:33What we don't see is the German who fell, who was in the lead since the beginning of

01:37the race, cheered on by the crowd, the whole stadium standing, screaming.

01:43And a few meters from the finish line, he falls and collapses, and the Frenchman takes

01:48his place.

01:55And then there was silence.

01:56I can still remember it.

02:01To pass the baton to the next generation, the city of Paris asked Raymond's son, photographer

02:07Simon Depardon, to produce a portrait series of French athletes competing this year.

02:15This is a photo of Mejdi Schlach.

02:17His speciality is climbing, bouldering in particular.

02:21And I like this photo because we feel the weight of the responsibility this young athlete

02:25carries with all of France behind him.

02:28He is very young, and he has incredible rigor.

02:31He is extremely strong.

02:33Father and son united on the walls of Paris.

02:36An experience of immense joy and great pride.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended