25/34 Photographes (Ralf Marsault/Heino Muller)
Fin de Siècle
7 November–21 December 2008

The Street and the Road are ‘Theatres of Cruelty’ par excellence. Places where extreme adventures, experiments at the limits, are performed, places of fights, fantasies. And this is where we had a completely irrational thought: The photographer’s kick: Render justice.

History is mostly about power, money, fame, and the people who pursue them. What about those who don’t? They should not be forgotten. The people from the edges usually leave no traces. So we went into the Street and on the Road looking for them, lonesome heroes, women with angelic smiles… We found the people who ‘own’ the Street – and some who happened to be around.

Though it might seem impossible to carry out such a project, we decided to try. To study and watch, leave nothing to chance, nor snapshots. Stage the picture and find a setting in which everyone would be at ease to perform his own part. We wanted the reflected image to be true to the poetry of the original. Simple perhaps, but only at first glance. As strong as silence in a hardcore concert. A picture as beautiful as an Edith Piaf song.

End of the century? Absolutely. Standing in the middle of the streets, backs to the wall, amidst rubbish and ruins, watching old dreams crumbling. But standing fierce, ready for more. Who knows…

Ralf Marsault, 1990