Up Close … with fine art photographer Laurent Alis |17 September 2019
Laurent Alis capturing the Vallée de Mai on Praslin
‘It is important to be in harmony with your surroundings’
Compiled by Vidya Gappy
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt.
In this busy world, we forget to see the beauty around us and to appreciate the wonders of nature. Luckily we still have some dedicated people who, like the quotation said, find time to capture what God has given us. When talking with Laurent Alis, a young artist and photographer, you have the feeling that he indeed sees beauty in everything he sees. This time, he is being the ‘Close-up’ portrait!
Background
Laurent Alis is a Seychellois fine art photographer who started his career with the launch of the guidebook ‘Seychelles Islands’ in 2008. He is the founder and publisher of this marketing publication.
His work captures the essence of nature, beauty, and its fragility and also highlights how much we should care for our environment. In 2017, he showcased his work for the first time in an exhibition through the Arterial Network Seychelles; the images comprised different landscapes of the archipelago.
In 2018, he curated the first fine art photography exhibit entitled ‘Framing Light’ at the Eden Art Gallery on Eden Island, featuring the work of almost 30 photographers.
In July 2019, he launched his first solo exhibition ‘Submergé’ at L’Alliance Française, which links the effect of climate change of the Arctic and Antarctica to the Seychelles islands.
Laurent is currently working on future exhibitions to refine his vision and become more socially and environmentally conscious. His work is available in different outlets in Seychelles, such as art galleries, home decor stores, and souvenir shops around the islands.
Childhood
Laurent Alis was born in Lorient, in Northeast France (Bretagne) in 1981. His mother is a Seychelloise originally from Praslin and his father was a French marine. He first came to Seychelles when he was one year old and he regularly came back to the archipelago during his school holidays. As a child, Laurent went to boarding school in the UK, finished his studies in Paris as a teenager, and later studied Media Technology at the University of West London. He is now based in Seychelles.
Much of his childhood memories are on Praslin, where his extended family is based. This is why much of his favourite landscape photos are from the island.
How did you begin photography?
“It started more as a necessity; when I launched the tourism book Seychelles Guidebook (which used to be called ‘Leisure and Business’ some 12 years ago) I needed landscape photos of Seychelles. I sourced a few from other photographers and from the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) but then I began taking photos to feature in the book. I would travel around to capture the main islands, beaches, hotels, and fell in love with it. I’ve been producing this guidebook for the past twelve years now. The guidebook is distributed to all the main tourism trade fairs across Europe to promote Seychelles every two years and features all main hotels, guest houses, restaurants and businesses in the archipelago.”
You exhibit your photos in galleries and shops around Seychelles - how did you transition from the guidebook to fine arts?
“I never imagined I could exhibit my work as art. It is thanks to consultant Sasha-Lee Marivel, who is now also my Brand Manager, that I now exhibit my work everywhere. I always have photos left over that I do not use in the guidebook and she asks me to use them commercially for art shows. She signed me up to the Affordable Art Fair by the Arterial Network Seychelles two years ago and some of my photos of the Vallée de Mai and beaches on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue were featured. They all were sold out in one night! For us this was a sign that I should pursue this artistic side of my work. My most popular pieces are from the Vallée de Mai, one of the most beautiful and most photogenic gardens in the world, in my opinion.”
Where does your inspiration come from?
It is all around me. I like to draw inspiration from nature, and I like to bring attention to our environment and even some of the issues that affect us – like erosion, and rising sea levels. Most of all I like when my work makes people realise the beauty all around them.”
Is this what you aim to do - help people become more conscious about the environment through your photos?
“Yes, in a way I want people to be reminded of the beauty and importance of nature. We get caught up in our daily lives, get stressed, and we tend to focus on the wrong things. It is important to be in harmony with your surroundings, to take time for yourself, to go at your own pace. That is the process I adopt whenever I go out to take pictures and my hope is that people who see the photos feel this sense of calm as well.
You hosted your first solo exhibition at the Alliance Française in July, which showcased a link between the North and South Pole with Seychelles. Tell us how this event came about.
“I had done the trips to the North and South Pole in a short span of time, not even thinking about exhibiting my photos. It was just one of those lifetime opportunities. After those trips I went to Remire Island with The Ocean Project and the Islands Development Company for an outer island clean up and the landscapes reminded me of the trips I had made to the two extremities of the world. Later, Sasha and myself developed the concept “Submerged” which shows how the changes and melting ice happening in the Arctic and Antarctica affect small island states like Seychelles directly because sea level rising is an issue for us. It was very well received, thanks to the support of the Alliance Française headed by its director Emily Motu. Other opportunities have also come up from this exhibition, which was open to the public for the whole month of July.
Before photography, what were you doing and what were your interests?
Years ago, before I even developed the Seychelles Guidebook, I developed apps for companies and hotels in Seychelles. It was a very different field but in a way similar because I had to design things visually. Eventually this service I offered expanded to doing 360 degrees photography for new resorts and companies as well. However I am an artist at heart and quickly got tired of this and wanted to move to something different. Looking back now, it was good preparation for what I do now.
When you are not taking photos for exhibitions or commercial sale, what do you spend your time on?
“I like to travel, sometimes to places I revisit and other times to new places. I also spend much time with family and loved ones, and I am constantly trying to learn new things and pick up new hobbies. It can be anything from wood work to interior design.”
What will you work on next? What can we expect from your art?
“I will be participating in some upcoming local exhibitions – hopefully the Seychelles Biennale 2020. I will also be exhibiting a small series of photos I had not showed before at Kenwyn House for the next three months. This exhibition is already open to the public and I invite everyone to go have a look, there are some very talented artists featured there.
