Sandrine Boulet - Urban Hallucinations
Auteur : Kris | 05-07-2011
«When I was small, I spent my time staring at the clouds. Today, I decided that this habit should never stop…»
was so excited to arrive in Paris last week to meet Sandrine in person…..April fools joke on me as I invited a young lady outside our doorstep in and proceeded to chat about we cocottes all the way to the 4th floor to meet Ariane. Ariane arrived and exclaimed «I ADORE your work!»… the young lady looked at us both totally perplexed… «Ah…» said Kris, «You are not Sandrine?!». As usual, I went a bit fast on the uptake and yes I am blond!
Finally Sandrine (the real one) arrived; you would immediately mistake her for a Swedish model with the biggest smile, however she is without any pretention at all, very spontaneous and is definitely creating a big buzz on facebook. She is a bit of a «slasher» the new term for those with multiple titles that require many «forward-slashes»: graphic artist / artistic director / photographer / artist. In fact her husband is the great photographer but she doesn’t leave home without her Nikon in her bag whilst strolling through Paris to find inspiration.
One precious hour with Sandrine was all I had and it was a moment of pure bliss to see the other side of the city through her eyes. I was my own victim and her exact opposite as my schedule was overbooked. And yes, we all live too quickly! We need to relax and maintain this dream spirit, which for her began through her daughter. And if we just started looking at life through our children’s eyes?
Starting in Paris, Sandrine has a remarkable eye, like a window or small book. She begins with digital photos, creates and draws upon urban contemplation.
Even if Sandrine is also blond, she is definitely not dingy ! Her principal inspiration is Carl Honoré’s book «In Praise of Slowness: How A Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed» which started the slow movement. I am going to run to buy it and savour it in peace…
Her most known work is «Papillon de Ville» or «Butterfly in the City» - which was inspired by the philosopher Marcel Duchamps and Dadaism. The butterfly spreads its wings on a forgotten object, which gives it a second life. It is a perfect reflection on ones personal development.
All of Sandrine’s over 400 works are eclectic and push us into a perpetual daydream.
At the same time, they are poetic and offer a 360° view on the bright side of urban street life.
Have a look at her website for her upcoming exhibitions. And yes you may purchase her works! When I asked her the price, as of course I already pictured them in my home… She turned around completely embarrassed… Like a true artist…..
We left each other in the Marais and I was hungry for more without time to spare unfortunately, while she strolled toward the Eiffel Tower… We’ll just see what she makes of that!
Next stop for Sandrine: Berlin, New York… More to follow through her eyes in these big urban cities.
Only advice I’d give: I want a stunning coffee table book titled «Sandrine Boulet», next to the one of Banksy, with all the images I didn’t have time to see! Sandrine admits that she is working on a children’s book… So another artist to follow…
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