The Land Beyond the Machine
Laurent de Froberville
64W Photojournalism / Spéos 2022-2024
Coming from Mauritius Island, I have witnessed a farming industry that could be considered as small-scale farming where the people working their fields still have a close connection to them. This sparked a long lasting interest in the exploration of that connection and the various challenges faced by farmers.
Here in France, although the scale of the industry is wildly different, the questions remain the same. Through a lyrical documentation of the work of farmers located in the South of the Essonne region in Ile-de-France, this project aims to seek what remains of this relationship between human beings and the Earth.
Between the gigantic machines, the perfectly ploughed fields stretching out to infinity and the current anger from farmers that rumbles from the distant countryside, this bond seems to have been altered, damaged even, and deserves to be investigated.
Iven, Julien and Romain are three of the many farmers who have a generational history with agriculture here in France. Besides having ways of working that differs from one another, they all share a deep understanding of the land. An understanding that goes far beyond the machines.
Laurent de Froberville is a Mauritian photographer currently based in Paris.
After discovering the power of images while roaming around his home island it became apparent to him that he wants to produce work centered around people. The camera allowed him to step into spaces and places that he would not have access to without it. He believes that the photographer needs to be aware of his role and his responsibility as a storyteller, no matter the subject.
He has worked on various projects documenting different communities, traditions, civil uprisings, and the relationship between people and the land.