In March, a book entitled Another Country and featuring photographs by British photographer Rip Hopkins was published.
The subject matter was British expatriates living in south-west France and Hopkins photographed his subjects during a spell as artist-in-residence in the Dordogne town of Ribérac, where his photographs were exhibited this summer.
His photographs have since attracted the attention of media from England to Italy to China. Another Country was also nominated for two Sony World Photography Awards.
More used to photographing persecuted minorities - Hopkins has worked extensively as a photographer and documentary maker for Médecins Sans Frontières - Hopkins’s aim was to explore why the British move to rural France.
His work has unsettled many; in an interview with The Connexion published in July, Hopkins courted controversy by suggesting that British expats were either “mad or brave” to move to such quiet backwaters that offer little chance of prosperity.
Three of Hopkins’s subjects explain how they became involved in the project, what they think their photograph says about them and share their thoughts on life in rural France.
Another Country will be exhibited at the following venues: Paris Photo exhibition: November 18-21 and Another Country, December 7-February 26 2011. Both exhibitions open Wednesday to Saturday from 14.99-19.00 and by appointment at Galerie Le Réverbère, 38 Rue Bureau, 69001 Lyon. Phone: 04 72 00 06 72 for details.
Another Country, Espace Malraux, Chambéry 3 March-30 April 2011. Open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 13.00-19.00, Wednesday 10.00-19.00 and Saturday 10.00-18.00.To find out more about Hopkins and see the other photographs from Another Country: http://www.riphopkins.com/works/54
Francesca Spille, 47, lives in St Severin in the Charente. She is a photographer and artist
“I got involved by chance. I’m an American so didn’t think I should be in the book, but Rip found out about me and asked me to take part. I spent my childhood in Henley on Thames so I guess that was why he was interested. I told him I hated England with a vengeance, but that was based on my boarding school days there; I moved from California, where it was all sun and psychedelia, to a dark, damp England.
I took it as an honour to be photo-graphed by Rip and the whole experience was fabulous. Rip chose the setting for my photograph. It’s in my bedroom, which looks like a little Britain; the rest of my house doesn’t, it’s very modern looking.
I feel like Rip has recorded a moment in time that may well end up being a part of history. I did feel that he was under-appreciated by some of the people he photographed; there were even rumours that one couple wanted to sue him for making them look too stuck-up. He also got criticised for not having anyone smiling in the photos but they’re not those sort of photos and actually a lot of people are quite miserable living here.
My parents have had a house here for 40 years. I used to come here on holiday as a child. Back then, there were only a sprinkling of British and they’d come because of a love of France; they were keen to get involved in French culture. The trouble is now people are coming who don’t share that interest; they’re searching for a better Britain and then can’t make a living here and become disillusioned.
I moved here from Spain five years ago to be near my parents and to get some breathing space. I must admit that rural France doesn’t do anything for me; I’m an urban chick at heart and for me there is no intellectual stimulation or culture to speak of. I'll be off soon. I’m not sure where to; I love Berlin and I miss the States, but then I have a boyfriend in England, so maybe I'll wind up going back there after all...
Lucy Image, 46, lives with her husband Pinky, 48, and children Ned, 16, and Rose, nine, near Ribérac in the Dordogne
“I met Rip at a tea party at a friend’s house. Rip was on the look out for people to talk to and someone suggested us. We chatted over tea, then Rip came back to our house and took the photos there and then. Rose loved taking part especially in the photo where she is dressed as Red Riding Hood and Tilly is dressed as grandma.
I know a lot of people [who took part] were surprised at how much information Rip managed to glean about them and some didn’t like their photographs. They felt they’d given too much away. I think the reactions of people to their photographs are funny; the pictures aren’t supposed to represent real life. I just feel proud and flattered to have been involved.
I think for Rip, talking to us about our experiences in France was important. His life story is a bit like mine, because he grew up in England and then came to France. Now he lives in Belgium. I think when he wrote the book, he was thinking about his journey and where he feels he belongs. I’ve always visited France; my grandfather brought this house in the 1960s. When I was 21, I came to France and worked as a cook on the barges. That’s where I met Pinky, who is also English.
When we had our daughter Poppy we decided to settle down and moved into my grandparent’s home. It has provided our children with an amazing quality of life but it isn't easy to make a living; I’m an outdoor caterer so for six months of the year, nothing much happens. Pinky makes luxury metal sculptures and there isn’t a big call for them at the moment. We live in a sleepy part of the Dordogne and you can feel quite isolated.”
Antony Mair, 62, lives with his partner, Paul McQuillan, 50, in Ribérac. They run an estate agency in the town. Mair also wrote the foreward to Another Country
“I had helped our previous artist-in-resident, who was also a photographer so when Rip was appointed, the director of the centre culturelle gave him my details. Through our estate agency, we’ve met a lot of British people in the area. I gave Rip a list of about 30 names and it just snowballed from their; people suggested other people and so it went on.
The centre culturelle lent Rip a flat across the road from us so we got to know him pretty well; I was delighted to be asked to write the foreword for the book.
When Rip came to photograph us, we were flattered. Rip decided how he wanted the shot to be and there was a certain amount of standing around holding the same position. We like our photograph, but I think we got off lightly!
What I found remarkable was how Rip was able to capture so much of the people he photographed - people he barely knew. The photographs are quite revealing. I can’t really comment on what our photograph says about us; I don’t think we can really judge that, but the feedback from other people has been positive.
There have been some funny incidences where we’ve been recognised. Most recently was when we were checking out of a hotel on Bordeaux and the receptionist said she’d seen our photograph in Paris Match. That threw me!
We’ve been living here full-time for six years, but I’ve had a holiday home here since 1988. It’s possible we’ll go back to England one day, but we don’t have any plans to do so at the moment. Some people complain there is no culture here but if you go to Périgueux or Bordeaux there is quite an active cultural scene. One thing that did come as a shock when we moved here full-time were the winters. They are cold and pretty dreadful, but that aside, we like it here; we have a business and a good quality of life. I’d say we’re pretty content.”
