The peasants who speak in this book have a rather exceptional ability to identify what is essential: the rain, the sun, the grass, the forest, a landscape, a corner of fire, the machine which produces enough to heat, to furnish, to eat, the quiet cat, the draft horse, the cow being milked, the very precise line of the plowman, called furrow, which is not spelled like the hill but is equally indispensable to us. This book, ultimately, is a gentle revolt against an absurd society where futility paralyzes beauty. Simplicity of people and simplicity of words, used by these Vosgiens from the mountains, like Fernande page 44 who says this: “In the past, we didn’t go to work elsewhere, outside, like now. We lived like that, a pair of cows, the milk product, the cheese, and then… and then we were happy. That’s it, it was above all that, we were happy ”.
Jacques Cuny is preparing an exhibition of large-format photos, “echoing the release of his book”. He is also working on a “sound ornamentation that will be played in the background during the visits (sounds of manual activities and nature)”. The exhibition should be visible at the Notre-Dame-des-Chaumes Chapel at the Schlucht from July 14 to August 15, 2022, in partnership with the association of the Chapel and the Parc des Ballons des Vosges. More info on the book and the upcoming exhibition on Jacques Cuny’s website tristanjacquescuny.wixsite.com/jacquescuny
Photos ©Jacques Cuny