Photography and Orality
Dialogues in Bamako, Dakar and Elsewhere

PHOTOGRAPHING LANDSCAPES

Q You have done portraits of people, but you’re also interested in the natural world. Can you tell us about your landscape photographs?
AN I went on a hike one day. It was a strange situation, because I wasn’t in the mood for walking, but I said to myself that it would help me unwind and forget about my troubles. When I arrived at the location, I discovered an area I’d never been to before. It was all new to me and I thought it was really beautiful. This gave me an opportunity to develop a new relationship with nature, with vegetation and animals. So, the photos I took there were not planned in any way, I just took them as I went along.
Q Have you thought about returning to that location to take more photographs, to clarify or alter anything in this series?
AN If I ever decide take more photographs there, I’d go back at the time of day when doctors tell me I should avoid being in the sun. That’s because shadows are less extreme at that time. I would focus more on gateways and other architectural features, such as walls, or masks and other objects, but I wouldn’t be so interested in photographing animals.
Q Has the natural landscape had a strong influence on your development as a photographer?
AN Not at all. I had very little contact with nature when I was a student. I mainly learned how to photograph live performances using artificial light and different lighting effects. Ironically, it was when I was in France studying at a workshop on studio photography in Montbéliard that I started to think about landscapes. In my spare time there, I’d go out on walks in the surrounding area, and that was where I started a project relating to nature. Unfortunately, I lost all of my first photographs. Even so, these images of nature motivated me to continue with my project, so in some ways they still exist.
Q Do the forests of Montbéliard differ a great deal from forests here in Senegal?
AN Yes, they’re very different. The forests in the Franche-Comté region are very green and full of shady areas. Sometimes it’s so dark that almost no light can pass through. The trees seem to form a barrier between two realms: the ground and the sky. Here in Senegal, there’s so much open space. The trees are very small. Sunlight can penetrate everywhere and the light is very intense.

A VIRTUAL WORLD

AN With virtual photography, we can adjust light levels. We can change the colour of the world to make it a little more violet, more red or more yellow. When we enter this virtual world, we come across unknown avatars and can travel around an invented environment. What interests me in virtual photography is the way we can immortalize a moment that doesn’t exist. Even I don’t exist in this world.
Q Do you see a connection between the virtual world and landscapes?
AN Yes, there’s a connection in the sense that in virtual worlds, we create a natural environment. That means that today, we can decide to create nature the way we imagine it. We can develop that environment by choosing the visuals, such as lighting and colours, that best represent it. It’s a virtual nature we create. When I imagine a virtual landscape, I start from scratch. I like my point of departure to be abstract. There’s no model to follow like there is when we photograph the real world. Even if I incorporate photographs of the real world into a virtual environment, the most important thing is that you have the freedom to invent things. But I need to develop and refine this idea, I’ll no doubt understand more as time goes on.

A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

Q What is the link between your work and society?
AN For the moment, there’s no link. I do photography because I have a passion for it. I do it primarily for myself, but also for people who believe that photography has something to say. Obviously what matters is not what I do, but what my images express. For example, a lot of my friends say that they can identify with my photos. Some have said, "I really like that photo, I spent hours looking at it and it helps take my mind off things, I feel less stressed out." That’s my main motivation for doing photography. If one day I feel that my work has a social connection, then it will be easier for me to pursue that link. But for the time being, photography is essentially an individual process for me.
Q Who is the intended audience for your work? Is it more directed to young people? European or Senegalese people?
AN I don’t make any distinction. My target audience is completely open. If someone doesn’t like my work, so be it. You can’t force these things. I include all age groups, all cultures. It’s not something I think about.
Q What about the internet? Is that a way for you to communicate and gain exposure for your work?
AN Yes, it’s a way of communicating with others, of making a name for yourself. I presume that you first came across my photographs on the internet. It’s a powerful medium of communication.
Q How about photography? Is photography also a medium of communication?
AN Absolutely! People say that music is an international language, but photography is also a universal language. I can take a photograph anywhere in the world and anyone can interpret that image in their own way. I would never say, "This photo means this, or that". Rather, it’s up to you to decide on the meaning of the image. Photography is an extraordinary medium of communication, which, at the same time, allows for an open interpretation of meaning. It’s more than the production of messages, it is a means of breaking down boundaries.

Interview conducted in Dakar, Sicap Amitié 3, Casa Mara Guest House, 18.06.2014
by Marion Jäger, Alicia Hernandez-Westpfahl, Marie-Louise Mayer