People
Captured Through The Lens & Carved with the blade
Gaetan James, an amateur botanist of the streets although detached, is nevertheless an aesthetically attuned observer of life as it might have been, as it might be and as it is
This stance, simultaneously part of and apart from, combines sociological, anthropological, literary and historical notions of the relationship between the individual the greater populace and our sense of place
Such terms as People and Place are far from straightforward. People can be thought of as objects, behaving in a particular ways (taking part in leisure and work activities), as being able to experience attachment to place, as having aesthetic appreciation, as beings concurring with particular notions of morality, or as playing roles in political and social struggles.
Place
Captured Through The Lens & Carved with the blade
Therefore a Place does not have meanings that are natural or obvious, but ones created by some people with more power than others to define what is and not appropriate. Despite this repressive aspect of modern society, where everyday life is repetitive and generally lived unconsciously, In Villages, Towns and Cities all over the world there exists an element of creative resistance to these constraints that are enacted by ordinary people on a daily basis
Observation
Captured Through The Lens & Carved with the blade
Gaetan James is the keen observer of these acts – Snogging in the open, the pissing in the street, the walking on the grass, the furtive holding of hands, a scream of despair or simply the exchange of an envelope etc.
He concentrates on seeing what others choose to ignore . At any given time everything appears as it should be, yet through the eyes of this visual gastronome, life offers the picturesque coated with the sheen of the surreal and the simplicity of the moment
Through the eyes of Gaetan James there is a wonderment to life, a gob smacked awe, sheer amazement and a total acceptance of all that it has to offer.