03 / 09 / 2008 Delphine Lelu
Today
The exhibitions opened their doors on August 31. It was a very special moment for me, since I’d worked on preparing them for a whole year. I was able to see all the efforts made finally take shape. There are fantastic prints on show, developed by skilled men and women working behind the scenes. And the photos themselves are exceptional, taken by talented, passionate, wonderful photojournalists.
The photographers are arriving in Perpignan, and seeing their work on display. It’s an opportunity for me to see all the men and women I know well or am meeting for the first time: all the people I exchanged countless emails with in order to display their work exactly as they intended. I’ve worked on 19 festivals so far and am lucky enough to have made some close friends. Some will never return, others only 10 years after.
I count Françoise Demulder among my special friends. Fifi. She was Visa through and through. Before she suffered the accident – which left her wheelchair-bound – she was always in Perpignan, year in, year out. She was frightened at the thought of coming back, worried her colleagues and friends would treat her differently. But I encouraged her to come back, which she did in 2006. She was thrilled to be reunited with the family she had missed so much.
I remember her saying to Jane Evelyn Atwood: “You’re so lucky to be able to take photos”. She sorely missed her job; it was her passion. She said she’d return next year, but now is no longer with us.
This morning, Fifi joined the ranks of Joe Rosenthal, Mark Grosset, Alexandra Boulat, and so many others. She has left me with a terrible feeling of emptiness, but I can feel her there beside me as the festivals go by.
Delphine Lelu
September 3, 2008