august-2011

with the coming of its yearly Rencontres, the little
Provençal city of Arles is once again drawing the world’s
gaze. This, arguably, is thanks to the unfl inching gaze that
this photography festival returns, challenging and inspiring
visitors, both local and international, with around 20
curators laying on some 47 exhibitions.
Since 1970 the organisers have pushed photography’s
claim that it sits among the most arresting and relevant of
media. Now, as the 41st season approaches and similar
festivals have proliferated globally, Rencontres can justifi ably
claim to be the world’s pre-eminent celebration of the form.
One feature of the Rencontres approach is a fi erce
commitment to diverse programming. 2011 will be no
diff erent, says director François Hébel, “We have a range of
projects: one, for example, is about the relationship between
photography and the internet, while another is all about
Mexico. It’s always a mixture of things. We’re trying to
occupy diff erent territory to the institutions.”
No doubt this is true, though much talk for 2011 is of the
decidedly institution-friendly Robert Capa and his “Mexican
suitcase”. Filled with negatives depicting the Spanish Civil
War taken by Capa and colleagues, the case found its way to
Mexico in 1939 when President Lázaro Cárdenas evacuated
Spanish Republicans imprisoned in Argelès. Long thought to
have gone missing, it makes its European début here. A fi lm
about the retrieval of the historical suitcase will be shown
in the event-packed opening week of the festival at the town’s
Roman amphitheatre.
26 metropolitan
~ insider culture ~
Life through a lens
The historic city of Arles hosts its annual Rencontres festival celebrating the work of the world’s fi nest photographers
amid the city’s spectacular surroundings, fi nds Neil MacMillan
The use of this ancient venue points to one of the
Rencontres’ defi ning aspects, the very sites where the work is
displayed. Almost as diverse as the images themselves, some
have a secretive appeal, not least the old SNCF workshops
and the once-neglected church of Frères Prêcheurs.
Diverse works and sites attract a diverse public, and here
the concept of “rencontres” comes into play. Whether
translated as encounters or meetings, the term implies
elements of both intimacy and challenge. The festival has
both. “Rencontres has a long history of off ering photography
workshops and events,” says Hebel, “but then there are also
the less organised, informal meetings between people who
have an interest in photography. The opening week is more
professional and then for the rest of the time the town’s
terraces are just full of visitors.” Casual admirers rub
shoulders with curators, and critics with artists – this is
indeed a rencontre in the proper sense of the word.
Even without the Rencontres, Arles is an appealing
destination, with its UNESCO Roman sites, the historical links
to Van Gogh and the broader cultural calendar. If you’ve ever
longed to see the world, you need go no further than Arles.
Rencontres runs until September 18, rencontres-arles.com;
Eurostar operates direct weekly services between St Pancras
and Ashford International and Avignon (less than an hour from
Arles by car) every Saturday from July 9 until September 10. On
other days, change at Lille or Paris for a TGV service. Direct
standard tickets from £109. Visit eurostar.com or see
Connections on page 96