“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realise that, in order to survive, he must protect it.” Charles III

During his state visit to France on 21st September 2023, the new head of state for the United Kingdom confidently took the floor to defend the cause that has been close to his heart for much of his life; the protection of biodiversity, the promotion of farming that respects our bountiful earth, and the desire to combat climate change. For those who aren’t aware, Charles III has always been known for his cutting-edge approach to ecology, and he has always unhesitatingly made his carbon footprint public, each year. He instinctively abhors everything that industrial society has engendered: the destruction of nature, anonymous managerialism and growth at all costs. As a utopian activist, he advocates for model farms and short supply chains. At his Highgrove House estate, in Gloucestershire, Charles III lives out these beliefs. Since 1985, he has turned over the 365 hectares of his estate to organic farming, banned GMOs, chemical inputs and synthetic fertilisers. This head of state doesn’t rail against polluters –he’s too polite for that– but he does act to save a part of this planet, his own land; where he has chosen to lay his roots, and where he feels most at home. If each and every one of us did the same, imagine the extent of civic mindedness in this world!

The climate takes a turn for the worse

So, is the King of England unusual? He’s certainly swimming against the tide of climate deniers who mark this present era. Once a priority of world leaders until very recently, the climate issue has now been placed on the back burner. It has to be said that an ill wind has swept across our planet, bringing with it a trail of doom and gloom and anxietyprovoking news, which hardly makes us inclined to look to the future with optimism. Ours is an era marked by conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine, We live in the shadow of the threat of nuclear weapons, of economic tension, and of the rise of populism and protectionism. What’s more, Donald Trump’s return to the White House is not what we would call an omen of peace or a sign of understanding between nations. A committed climate sceptic, the 47th President of the United States struck fast and hard on his return to power. He froze environmental subsidies, questioned the reality and seriousness of global warming, redoubled his attacks on science and proven fact and prioritised his country’s reliance on the fossil fuel industry. Consequently, he ushered in a new era of ignorance and of uncontrolled artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, while we wait for the return of pragmatism, the natural world is not faring any better and climate change is accelerating. In recent months, mega-fires have once again ravaged Canada, California and parts of Los Angeles, unprecedented floods have submerged both Valencia, Spain and Freetown, Sierra Leone, and ever more powerful hurricanes have battered the coasts of Florida and Indonesia, Mayotte and La Réunion, wreaking havoc on ecosystems and leaving populations distraught. The cause, time and time again, is due to extreme temperatures.

2024 was the hottest on record since 1850. This is due to the ever-increasing build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activity. Temperatures now average over 15°C at the Earth’s surface, 0.7°C higher than in 1990. Should we simply give in to the prevailing pessimism? As the playwright Yasmina Reza says “We need a touch more lightness, otherwise tragedy would be fatal.” This is the maxim that we’ll be celebrating during the 22nd La Gacilly Photo Festival. We have chosen a path towards a positive approach to ecology; we have seen how photography can be the impetus for empowering and inspiring others and have shone the spotlight on our little village in Morbihan by offering it up once again to allow artists to exhibit their photographs; opening numerous new windows on the world. We invite you to observe the environmental challenges that are faced by the 21st century without bias; to continue to marvel at our world, and to be moved by its wonders; to take note of the initiatives that are working to rebuild the shattered relationship between citizens and the Earth, and promote a tolerant and optimistic future.

Exotic England

It comes as no surprise that, in these troubled times, we wanted to extend an invitation to our offbeat cousins from across the Channel, to come over to Brittany and express their views. Known for brilliantly portraying our times, sometimes with humour, often with acerbic wit, and always with a great sense of lucidity, this is England, and it’s fascinating. We often look far and wide for to discover exotic things, yet these may be closer than we think; just over the cliffs of Dover, in fact! Britain and France share a thousand-year long history of misunderstandings and enmities, admiration and respect. This could be due to the British people’s intrinsic way of doing things unlike anyone else, and especially unlike us! Not only do they drive on the left, they have their own currency, and 6 some voted for Brexit. They also play darts, they believe in ghosts and they still have a monarchy. And that’s probably why we love them. They have their own uniqueness, their own creativity and that touch of eccentricity that they can call on even in the darkest of situations. This is because, in the land of sober suits and rigid upbringings, flamboyance is still cultivated as an art form. Ever since Oscar Wilde walked a lobster on a lead along the banks of the Thames, we have known that this propensity to defy expectations is nothing new. Winston Churchill used words and puns to poke fun at his opponents. Monty Python turned zany, provocative humour into a veritable work of art, and dared, sacrilegiously, to poke fun at both the life of Christ and the heroics of the legendary King Arthur. As for “King of fashion” Beau Brummel –known for taking forty-five minutes to tie his tie– he found himself exiled in Paris at the end of his life. Harassed by creditors, he would hold imaginary receptions in his maid’s room, announcing the phantom guests himself to the empty room. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols have since shaken things up, while remaining loyal subjects of His or Her Majesty. English history is full of these types of personnalities who would be considered extravagant elsewhere, but who, for the British, contribute to the identity of a country where the unifying principle of the Crown has always left plenty of room for individuality. After all, irreverence also furthers the ideal of freedom.

So British: the programme for 2025

The British photographers we are honouring this summer all share this unique point of style. They’re so British because they know how to cleverly capture a shared spirit: the spirit of an era, the spirit of a country, the human spirit. At La Gacilly, we’ve always strived to honour the great masters of photography, and Sir Don McCullin, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, is a legend. Throughout his career, he has placed his lens as close as possible to individuals, to their bravery and their fears, their secret thoughts and their beliefs. He didn’t photograph the misery of the excluded, he denounced it; he didn’t photograph war, he decried its absurdity; he didn’t photograph the English countryside or ancient landscapes, he showed their fragility. This retrospective of his work perturbs us, while preserving our capacity to open our minds to new thoughts and ideas.

If mischievousness remains the prerogative of the British, Martin Parr is its photographic standard-bearer. For over fifty years, this indefatigable chronicler of English society has cast an implacable, razor-sharp eye over his compatriots, from both modest and more affluent backgrounds. His work is accentuated by a perfectly mastered art of framing (and close-ups), a liking for bright colours, and a skilful use of flash lighting, thanks to which he has freed himself from all stuffy academicism. Where does he find his inspiration? Parr admits that he has great admiration for an artist who is sadly forgotten today, a genius of the art of mockery who died too soon at the age of 31, in the early 1970s: Tony Ray-Jones. At La Gacilly, we will be introducing you to this ironic observer of his era’s behaviour, who gave humour its rightful place without ever lapsing into needless cruelty.

These two forerunners of unbridled, light-hearted photography have since seen their work emulated by others. Peter Dench chooses to closely examine the contradictions of a society believed to be deeply attached to tradition. He has depicted fervent royalists who flock to every ceremony held for their sovereign, yet find themselves overwhelmed with emotion once they are there. Peter Dench skilfully portrays a blend of trashiness and class, absurdity and seriousness, pragmaticism and eccentricity. As for Josh Edgoose, who is very active on social media, he roams the streets of London in search of the unexpected. Favouring vibrant colours, incongruous details and moments of joy and spontaneity, each of his images is the result of a happy coincidence, and this is the first time his work has been shown in France. “Swinging London” –a permanently effervescent capital– reminds us that a whole genre of untamed pop music was born on the banks of the Thames and in the suburbs of Liverpool before sweeping across the world. Terry O’Neill witnessed this sizzling, exhilarating revolution. Crucially, he was the photographic confidant of England’s ‘enfants terribles,’ from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones and David Bowie to Elton John. He captured all the artists involved in this new scene with his lens. His images are now iconic, and take us back to our not-so-distant past.

British photography can also be proud of the fact that, from its very beginnings, it has set its sights on the wonders of nature. Did you know that the United Kingdom and France share the privilege of being the inventors of this medium? Although Nicéphore Niepce, from Chalon-sur-Saône, was the first to set an image on a metal plate, it was an English botanist who was the first to develop this technique all the way back in 1843. Anna Atkins was a pioneer in this field. Here at La Gacilly, we’ll be presenting some of her cyanotypes, used to create herbariums of spellbinding beauty, which are astonishingly modern when you consider that many contemporary artists are once again using this almost 200-year-old process. A new generation is fiercely defending this practice that pays homage to nature.

Three women feature in our programme. Gina Soden has made abandoned places her kingdom and offers us works of rare poetry. She explores manor houses and old mansions that their owners have left behind, disused factories and dilapidated hospitals where nature reclaims its rights. Cig Harvey experiments with colours, our sensory experiences and bodies that blend into nature. Her work awakens our senses and plays to our admiration of fragility. Finally, Mary  Turner takes a tender look at the marginalised populations of post-industrial England, with an eye reminiscent of Ken Loach’s films, and places human beings at the heart of all her shots.

2025, the Year of the Sea

Artists witness and shed light on harassed lands. In France, 2025 is the Year of the Sea. In June, France will host the major United Nations Ocean Conference. We are proud to remind others that France is the world’s second largest maritime nation, are aware that with this comes responsibilities and duties. The oceans that cover 70% of the Earth’s surface, are a major regulator of the Earth’s climate. They absorb over 90% of the excess heat in the climate system caused by massive greenhouse gas emissions. Warmer waters lead to ever more violent hurricanes and storms, as we are seeing today. We must remain vigilant in the face of these alarming facts, and ensure that these maritime areas remain in good health, so that they can continue to perform the balancing acts that allow life on land to thrive. In showcasing the beauty of the sea, our Festival shows its support for this cause and places the importance of the challenges of preserving maritime areas at the centre of our programme. Who better than Laurent Ballesta to give us a vivid insight into the underwater world’s fragile ecosystem? A multi-talented biologist and photographer, he takes us under the ice of Antarctica, before showing us the ballet of the Polynesian grey sharks and allowing us to discover the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish that he was the first to immortalise. We’ll also take a refreshing dip with Robert Doisneau, whose work extends far beyond Paris and its suburbs. During advertising commissions and family holidays, Robert Doisneau cast a curious, cheeky and benevolent eye over the French coastline. As for Stéphane Lavoué, a great portraitist who has become a friend of our Festival, this winter he set off to meet the “Sea Workers”, or those whose work is linked to the sea. To create the commission requested by The Morbihan Departmental Council, vessel traffic controllers, tugboat captains and fishmongers portray their passion for the seas, which are not to be taken lightly. Indian photographer Supratim Bhattacharjee has worked in the Sundarbans archipelago for years. He shows us the daily lives of people facing climate disasters and rising sea levels, phenomena that could soon affect us all if we continue to turn a blind eye.

The emotions behind positive ecology

We have also set ourselves a secondary mission: that of allowing photographs to speak the universal language of emotions, to allow viewers to discover the world around us and strive to understand it better. Indefatigable traveller, fashion photographer and member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Françoise Huguier is honouring us with a stopover in La Gacilly during her landmark book tour. Emotive Africa will be published this summer, and pays tribute to the land she has loved for nearly 40 years. She explores its soul from Mali to Ethiopia, Benin to Mozambique, including snapshots that are tinged with poetry and a no-nonsense style of writing.

We’ll be staying in Africa, in Tanzania to be precise, to discover the long-term work by Frédéric Noy. As part of the Yves Rocher Foundation’s photographic commissions which focus on nature sanctuaries in need of protection, Frédéric Noy developed an interest in little-known park, Udzungwa, where populations of endemic monkeys, threatened by urbanisation, live in the heart of a primary forest. The wilderness is constantly shrinking and untouched land is gradually being taken over by human activity. In an essay that is as much a documentary as it is artistic, Axelle de Russé used infrared technology to view our two inhabited polar worlds, in the North and in the South. We can now see that, faced with global warming, Svalbard and Chilean Patagonia are slowly becoming one; suffering from the same ills caused by rising temperatures and the arrival of mass tourism. We have said it before, but the wilderness is shrinking. A regular contributor to National Geographic, Corey Arnold proves this very point with his astonishing report on the bears, coyotes and raccoons that venture into our cities in search of the food they can no longer find in their original habitat. Such images would make you smile if they didn’t convey invasive modernity in all of its complexity.

To round off this year’s event, as an fleeting gift to nature and an ode to travel and contemplation, we’ll be exhibiting the sensory and aesthetic world of François Fontaine, winner of the 2025 Leica Prize for New Environmental Photography. His images, taken when the flowers are in full bloom, resemble prints, and reveal dappled light, magical reflections, the wind in the trees and the blossoming of a new season.

They say joy is contagious. This new edition is a breath of fresh air in a dark age, celebrating life so that we can all love it all the more.

Cyril DROUHET

Exhibition curator at La Gacilly Photo Festival