The series of photographs «The Playhouses of Our Grandparents» (Les cabanes de nos grand-parents) brings us face to face with members of the older generation across the world, from France to the tiny island nation of Vanuatu (stopping along the way in places as diverse as India, Brazil, Morocco, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United States, among others). Over the last five years, Nicolas Henry has created roughly 400 portraits in more than forty countries. For each portrait, a sort of makeshift stage set or temporary playhouse was constructed using the subject's familiar possessions - a reflection of each person's history, his imaginary world: a fish-cum-helicopter during a miraculous bowfishing trip in Vanuatu; a skyscraper fashioned from odds and ends in a workers' camp in Shanghai; a smiling mama's yellow leaves from Africa attached to a shrub in her garden in France. In parallel to being photographed, the subject tells a story - his or her story - offering us a glimpse into their world.
The project was born of the realization that the world today is dominated by images of youth and by a formulaic notion of social success. What is the place of older people in our society, where the traditional means of transmitting language, stories and customs as well as knowledge of the natural world and of biodiversity have been supplanted by the media and modern systems of education ? The aging of the baby-boom generation translates primarily into economic considerations and social preoccupations, leaving little room for a humanist debate. The report on the future of French pensions, the burden they place on the social security system, the loneliness and distress suffered by the elderly (which no amount of public awareness campaigns can ever hope to alleviate) are the images that are constantly presented in the media. In creating the «Cabanes» project, Henry was motivated by a desire to build a positive connection with our elders.
Nicolas Henry was born in 1978. A graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he has worked as a set designer and theatre director. He collaborated with Yann Arthus-Bertrand on the project «6 milliards d'autres» (Six Billion Others), filming the photographer at work and acting as a curator of the exhibition at the Grand Palais. The project «Les cabanes de nos grand-parents» has been the subject of extensive press coverage, both in France and internationally. Nicolas Henry also created sets for Quentin Clausin's film Billion Star Hotel (scheduled for release in late 2011 / early 2012).
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