Caryatid - Claude Lavoie Photo

Caryatid

Caryatid

I contemplated for months a photo shoot about statuary. Although sketchy, the project conjured up intimations of antique classicism, refinement, graceful bodies . . . but would require numerous accessories and entail elaborate arrangements. It therefore seemed sensible, in order to make the best use of the preparations, to plan for several models on a single day. As juggling with models' timetables is no small feat, I had put everything off for some time.

But it seemed like heavens would change for the Sunday just before Christmas : I booked four models, stuffed everything into a car (including six-foot long reed stems plucked from the shore of the frozen St-Lawrence River the day before) and, in minus 25°C temperature, set out towards a dance studio rented in a converted factory building of east-end Montreal. As the elevator did not work, I had to ferry all the material (nearly half a ton of it) up the stairs before setting up.

But all in all, it went smoothly. The models came and went in succession, with a 30 minute break between them. We used small, medium, and large format cameras with a variety of films.

I spent more than fifteen hours in the studio, and got back home at 4 AM : exhausted, voiceless, but radiant.

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Date of photograph : December 2002