Lionel Henriod

Twice a year, the Bejart Ballet Lausanne invites a Swiss artist to create its own art project in line with the company during the rehearsals in its studios.

Lionel Henriod, the Silence Gatherer

Wherever he goes, he brings his tea, his concoctions and… he shares. That’s the only way Lionel Henriod knows how to carry himself – by sharing his emotions and giving himself entirely! While talking to the Lausanne native, one can appreciate his respect for the history of the art form. The Vevey School of Photography alumnus reveals himself through the medium. Photography embeds his sensitivity and legitimizes his freedom to explore different processes and capture a variety of subjects such as architecture, beings or objects. While contemplating his pictures, we brew into his reality and become aware of the agitation and essence of the present moment.

His work includes projects for the 2002 International Olympic Committee or Let’s play, a collaboration with Christane Nill putting the spotlight on Swiss talents, which was exposed at the 2016 Vevey Image Festival. He also collaborated with the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, capturing the backstage agitation of a show. At age 38, Lionel Henriod admits that he perceives the never ending flow of social media as a destabilizing force on the power of imagery. For all his projects, he likes to slow down and create through the focus of his contemplative eye. Smiling, he says «everything is a portrait of the presence. Even empty spaces and silences. Especially empty spaces.

Some artists have ignored this form of complicit serenity which allows you to take in the impalpable, poetic rays of the spirit. In order to remain true to his sensitive nature, the Lausanne photographer simply lets silence speak for itself. Whether isolating an architectural detail from the urban mess, highlighting a pinecone in its natural environment or arresting the creative spiral in Dixit, Lionel Henriod knows how to be a recipient of history and emptiness. When his shutter releases, details reveal themselves and breathe essence into life.

Florence Millioud-Henriques (24heures)