l'Exactitude n'est pas la Vérité

"Inspired by a shared interest in the striking dress codes of various social groups, the Rotterdam-based photographic team of Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek have been systematically hamstringing such permutations of received identity for ten years. They call their series Exactitudes, a contraction of “exact” and “attitudes”. It’s August Sander and Eugène Atget turned on their heads by Bernd and Hilla Becher - a direct assault on the mythic formula that photography plus the street equals authenticity.

By dragging the repertory of the street kicking and screaming to the studio backdrop, the series offers a purposely absurd response to the sentimentality of Jamal Shabazz (“Back in the days”) and the beloved and utterly bogus spontaneity of the photo booth. It’s a perfect fit for an age that’s made the “cool hunt” a corporate pursuit. Of course the photos are starchy and obdurately posed and ever so consciously styled, because there can be no meaningful limit to the cross-contamination between those notions of a authenticity and supreme self-awareness. "

The third and extended editon of the book will on sale from december 2007. It is published by O1O publishers and distribuated by Idea books.

Title is quote by Matisse, text by Gil Blank for INFLUENCE magazine, NYC
See: Exactitudes (click pictures to view next page)

Picture: Exactitudes: French Touch; click picture for best viewing.
Via: Diane, A Shaded View of Fashion