The Heirs of War - Verdun
This project is rooted in the context of the First World War and the territory of Verdun. It aims to question how a conflict can continue to inhabit bodies, places, and the lives of those who remain.
It tells the story of Pierre Sauter, the son of a German soldier, severely wounded and traumatized by the conflict. Growing up, he would hear his father crying out at night without understanding why. Today, he takes part in passing on his father’s memory, notably as a volunteer guide in Verdun.
I began to question how he himself perceives this history today. My intention in carrying out this project is therefore to reflect on the memory of war.
Through this project, I am not trying to show the historical side of the war, but rather how it continues to have an effect on lives and places long after it has ended. I focus on subtle elements and silences that bear witness to a memory that is still present.
The images are built around fragments, details, and simple compositions. I seek to avoid any spectacular or dramatic effects in order to remain as close as possible to the subject. The rhythm of the project relies on images that leave space for reflection and memory.
With Pierre Sauter as our guide, we enter a landscape of memory where the visible and invisible traces of war still endure.
History is not only read. It is kept,carried and passed on.
French military cemetery. White crosses trace a memory written in plain sight.
German military cemetery. Black crosses whisper another one, quieter yet equally present.
At the heart of the fort, silence still keeps watch over the dead.
Memory sometimes survives in what human hands have preserved.
