Saint Claude, a stroll through the old town by Arjan Warmerdam

Between past and present – Saint-Claude

In Saint-Claude, a walker with a rucksack walks along a narrow pavement, amidst stone, changes in elevation and old buildings. On the left, a large mural covers almost the entire blind side wall. The painting depicts a historic cityscape, thus forming a visual reference to the town’s past.

On the right, the road climbs steeply, running alongside a massive natural stone wall, above which stand houses built into the slope. The lines of the pavement, the road and the wall draw the eye into the scene. The pedestrian not only provides a sense of scale to the surroundings but also introduces a human element into the composition. This creates the feeling of a genuine passage through the city, as if the past and the present touch each other here for just a moment.

The pronounced editing emphasises the textures of the façades, natural stone, tarmac and rock. This gives the photograph a graphic, almost drawn-like quality, which ties in beautifully with the mural itself. It is precisely this interplay between the real street and the depicted city that creates an image with atmosphere, depth and a narrative.

This photograph is part of a small series, taken from the same vantage point in Saint-Claude. Whereas in another shot a yellow vehicle brings the image to life, here it is the pedestrian who lends the scene a human and narrative quality. In this way, the same location reveals two different stories.