“I’m still the child who made his cabin with ferns on the island of Ré, rocked by the wind caressing the dunes, eyes wide open” – this is how Laurent Castellani describes himself.
As a professional web Art Director, Laurent has always been fascinated with images, advertising, short formats; touching as many people as possible through the power of emotions. Unfortunately, he says, little by little, the creative aspect became blurred, constrained by customer briefs and meetings with too many stakeholders. It inevitably leaned towards mediocrity, which was something Laurent was unhappy about. He wanted to be able to create images and films with the greatest freedom he could have. This is how he started making movies, and photography came soon after that. For Laurent taking pictures is less frustrating and more accessible, because it’s less consuming than shooting films.
If he had to describe his work, Laurent would say that it’s rather dark (but not in a creepy way), cinematographic; as if he’s trying to stop time. Nowadays he only shoots in the mornings or in the evenings. Heavily inspired by David Lynch’s work (particularly by Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive), he sees this universe as lost in space and time; a mixture between a dream and reality.
