The puppeteer on the bridge
Most of the time we don’t take the time to stop and listen. We are too busy scampering along worrying about our next task, job, appointment, purchase, or meal.
It’a a shame.
When you stop and take the time to look and listen, you are rewarded with some gems that will surprise you.
The place
Pont Saint-Louis, in Paris. Walking towards l’Île Saint-Louis, right at the end of the bridge. I have been there before, in July 2022, and I’ve seen him then. I never bothered to stop and pay attention, I just thought “what an interesting choice of art!”. This year, in May 2023, I saw him again. I was looking for a mini photographic project to develop in a couple of hours, a small photo essay. I thought it would be an interesting subject for my essay, and I asked him if I could take some images of him while he was working. He graciously agreed and let me shoot freely.
The man
His name is François Monestier, and he’s been earning his living as a puppeteer for many years. He makes his own puppets by hand. I was quite impressed when he told me so, those puppets have character and they are really expressive. Seeing him animate them is quite mesmerising, as is his passion for the stories he tells with his puppets.
The fables
I recognised the wolf, the fox, the monkey, the stork, the cat, the donkey, the mouse and the lion. If this doesn’t give you a clue already, he tells the fables of Jean de La Fontaine enacting them with his puppets. While creating the series of images for my essay I often found myself simply stopping and enjoying the show. The passion, the acting and the animation of the puppets just got me transfixed at times. Who said that this is only a show for children? We all should let the child in us be present and enjoy the curiosity and sense of novelty with which children look at the world. I certainly enjoyed his show very much, fascinated and taken away by his craft.
The puppet show
I have distilled the experience of François’ show in 10 images, still retaining a narrative. We already established the place, we already know who the main character is. One image at a time, the story unfolds.
Curiosity killed the cat, they say. As photographers, curiosity makes great images. Be as curious as a child, listen and pay attention, stop and observe. Give it a try. You will be rewarded.