Fotomaton – Vincen Beeckman

Over the years Vincen Beeckmanhas become one of the key figures of the Brussels art scene, in which he has been particularly active. He works as an organiser for Recyclart, is a member of the BlowUp and Oiseaux Sans Têtes collectives, as well as being behind many sociocultural projects and the creator of plenty of work on his own account.

In Belgium, in Africa and elsewhere, Vincen Beeckman has developed a form of work which is anchored in the day to day. His lens turns the everyday into a real subject for our curiosity. Working with ordinary objects and anecdotes, the photographer does his research and weaves stories together. Although the medium of photography serves him as a starting point for a series of – occasionally somewhat odd– investigations, it is also a way of tying together dialogue with the local populations to whom he offers to relate the environment. In this spirit of bringing people together, he creates many of his works in public spaces.

This is the case with his travelling Fotomaton which he taken all over Belgium and France. At first sight, this photo booth appears to be one of the traditional type, an enclosed space in which you can pose. However, here, instead of an automated device, the photographer himself in flesh and blood, separated from his model by a glass screen, starts a conversation in the darkness. In this way, taking on the air of a confessionnal, the Fotomaton questions the concept of identity for its participants.

This reimagined booth will be in attendance this year at the festival BLC, inviting festival-goers to share in this unique experience!