Patrick Bard the Novelist

By ManonBourbousson, Juliette Chabrier, Lola Sudreau, Laure Olvers and Laure Wallez-Culioli

October 15th 2015

On Thursday 1st October, our secondary school programLes Jeudisd’Aubanelwelcomed Patrick Bard. The conference was about the border between the USA and Mexico, what it implies on the economic, political and social sides. We must say that because of the work several classes have done on the subject and because of the numerous posters posted in the Aubanel corridors, the amphitheatre was full.

And of course, the English European class was in the amphitheatre.

Patrick Bard* was born in 1958 in Montreuil-sous-Bois. He is a photojournalist, a thriller author and a traveller-novelist.He has especially worked on the suburbs, the roads and the borders. His long photographic essay about the Americano-Mexican border (known as Mexamerica) earned him ample recognition. He is also an ardent advocate of the photography cause. He served in this context many elective offices in the last 20 years.

Patrick Bard the novelist:

His 5 novels (especially his detective novels)were inspired by his photos. His first novel, The Border, was awarded the Michel Lebrun prize in France in 2002, the Brigada 21 prize in Spain in 2005 and the EncresNoires prize in 2006 in France. He currently leads a personal work on the water problem and the indigenous people in South America. With his wife (Marie-BertheFerrer whom he works with), he has recently published Partir, traité de routologie(2011), a work in photos, texts and travel books. Orphelins de sang (2010), the latest novel by Patrick Bard, was rewarded by the Sang d’Encre des Lycéensprize in 2010 and the Lion Noir prize in 2011. Around twenty monograph and photograph books have been devoted to him since 1985.

Patrick Bard the photographer:His artwork has especially been exhibited in the Pompidou Centre, in the Grande Halle de la Villette, and in Mexico, Spain, and Britain or in the US… And it has been acquired by many museums and private collections. Through his work, which is visible around the world, he wishes to foster exchanges. Since 2007, he has been represented by Signatures, a photographers' company*. In his opinion, a photo is above all ‘ a depiction of the photographer’s view of the world’. But when he shoots a photo, he contents himself with being a simple witness because it is not up to him to interfere.

According to him, a photo is here to contribute to the democratic debate. Therefore, the first question he asks himself before taking a cliché is : "Is this photo going to be useful as a contribution to the media debate?"

Sometimes, the photo can take part in the change of our society.For example, Philips which has factories in Mexico has stopped the humiliating rules the women were submitted to thanks to the photos.

For him, a photo is stronger than any newspaper articles and has an undeniable power that articles do not have as "a photography

Tijuana, Canyon Zapata, 1996 ©Patrick Bard

puts the human in the centre whereas an article puts information at the centre ".

The “El Norte” exhibition:

Between 1996 and 2000, during the “Gatekeeper operation”, Patrick Bard shot a series of 52 photographs in Mexico near the border. This series of black and white photos gave birth to an exhibition called “El Norte”. In this exhibition, the photographer highlightsthe economic stakes between an emerging country and a powerful country, the important narco-trafficking, the illegal immigration, the precarious life of the Mexican, the globalization and the third country which was born in 1994.

Mexamerica:

We cannot imagine what all a border implies, which is what defines and rules our world. And we can consider that the border between the United States of America and Mexico is one of the greatest example that illustrates this idea, as it is the most crossed border in the world.

Originally, the territory of the border belonged to Mexico. In 1848, the Americans took it from the Mexicans.

Nowadays, the border between the USA and Mexico is demarcated by a wall (4200 km long and 7 metres high) built during Bill Clinton’s mandate. This wall was erected in order to reduce the Mexican migration flows coming into the USA, which is all the more paradoxical because it was the period when the USA, Canada and Mexico signed an agreement (ALENA) for free trade between them.

Of course, although the USA and Mexico share a common history, there is still a huge gap between them and especially a social one.

First of all, the Mexicans do not live in the same way the Americans do. A large part of the Mexicans, who work in factories near the border, live in slums and in dire poverty. The workers’ wages are lower inMexico than in the USA: about 5, 20$ in the USA against 2$ or 3$ a day in a same factory in Mexico. The factories in Mexico do not respect the workers’ rights. And the women are the first victims. They are indeed victims of discrimination: some of the most well-known companies which have factories in Mexicoimposed humiliating rules. For example, every month women have to prove that they are not pregnant: if they are pregnant, they risk to be dismissed.

The cities near and along the border are the theatre of great violence. Actually,narco-tracffickinghas invaded those cities, creating an atmosphere of fear and of great tensions. Still, women are the most affected by violence: a sort of a macabre game (called “feminicide” by associations) consists in hunting women as they come back alone from work, raping them and killing them. It is nowwide spread

El Norte. A demonstration of the missing persons’ families in front of JuarezCity Hall. Hundreds of women, mainly maquiladora workers, have been murdered these six last years. 2000. © Patrick Bard

through South America. But this

violence is not only present in Mexico, it has invaded the South

of the USA: the city of El Paso has become one of the most violent places in the USA.

In 2004, an event showed that a climax in violence had been reached: Mexico decided to get rid of the narco-traffickers with the help of the USA. It led to a war of gangs that killed between 120,000 and 150,000 people. This is one of the most murderous events in the early 21st century.

Although the border brought a lot of violence and problems in the two countries alike, it is also a place of great exchanges. Indeed, as it is also known as the 3rd country, it has its own culture (books written in Spanglish, films directed by an American director and a Mexican director…), its own language (Spanglish, a contraction of English and Spanish) and its own art.

Mexico and the USA are going to respectively americanize and mexicanize, with the third country. Some places in the USA are about 70% Spanish speaking. The states in the South of the USA celebrate El DÍa de losmuertos. On the contrary, Mexico celebrate Halloween which is a sign of americanization.

Some questions of the audience:

•« Who shoots the photo: the man or the professional? » (a question of Mr Amberny asked by Mrs Bessard)

Patrick Bard:Both. Because, there is no border between the man and the professional. My job has really become a part of myself.

•« What do people say when you photograph them? »

P.B:It depends on the moments […] but generally, the populations who are victims of persecutions appreciate the presence of the camera or the lens.

• “What do you think about the photo of the three-year old Syrian boy lying face down on a Turkish beach?”

P.B:The photo is shocking but useful to the democratic debate. I think that the French media failed in their duty of information by not publishing this photography.

• “Why are your photos in black and white?”

P.B:All my photos are not in black and white. But a black and white photo enables us to take a certain distance between the real world and the photo.

• “What do you think of the new trend of the selfie?”

P.B:I am not going to give you my own opinion on this practice. But, what is certain is that, when we shoot a selfie, we put all the places of the world on the same plan: the background.

Juliette’s point of view:

I guess that I actually speak on behalfof us all when I say that Patrick Bard is a really interesting man. He didn’t speak to us as if we were just teenagers listening to him, but as adults with an opinion to consider. We exchanged with him and he gave us his point of view about one topic or another. It was not one of those conferences during which we almost fall asleep: Mr Bard told us his story as a thrilling novel. He told us about Mexamerica in a different way from our teachers did. He saw Mexamerica, he took the photographs we studied in class. He explained us the life in the 3rdCountry, and this was really intense. We couldn’t hide behind our screen anymore: real history was here, in his words, and we couldn’t act as ignorant children anymore. He considered us as grown-ups, we had to show him he was right. One thing that was really nice with him was that he didn’t speak about those things that happened in Mexamerica in a sinister tone. He said he had been kidnapped and he had to escape, with a smile, as if it was sheer routine for him, which truly impressed us. His job is a really captivating way of life that made us dream about another perspective. He explained his vision of the photography with passion. We could see how much he loves what he does. I found that his presentation was the most inspiring Jeudisd’Aubanel I have ever participated in.

To finish:

To conclude the conference at Aubanel, he simply declared:"Photography is here to show the unspeakable and writing is here to say the unshowable ".

Due to his success, Patrick Bard may come back atAubanel in December to speak about Mexamerica again.

If you want to know more:

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