Bulbucatii. Wide-Eyed

Editie bilingva: Romana-engleza. Ne-am obisnuit sa credem ca trebuie sa mergem peste mari si tari pentru a explora.
Nimic mai gresit! Poate primul care a demonstrat-o stralucit a fost Xavier de Maistre , un aristocrat din secolul al XVIII-lea, pictor, soldat si autor al unei carti care a devenit celebra: Voyage autour de ma chambre.
Xavier a decis sa se bucure de cele sase saptamani in care a fost pus in arest la domiciliu (in urma unui duel), explorandu-si dormitorul, in halat de casa, cu maxima receptivitate si curiozitate, ca pe un regat indepartat si exotic. De asta avem nevoie si noi, in viata de zi cu zi, observa filosoful englez Alain de Botton in prefata ultimei editii englezesti a A Journey Around My Room : sa nu mai privim orbi prin lucrurile devenite familiare, sa incercam sa le revedem intr-o lumina proaspata…
Cred ca acesta e si secretul fotografului Remus Tiplea, care si-a facut aproape toate povestile in zona natala, Negresti-Oas. Sunt ca gaina pe langa casa, imi caut subiecte cat mai aproape.
Nu din comoditate, nu sunt comod deloc, merg sa le pozez zi si noapte. Cand altii stau acasa cu familiile – de Sarbatori – eu sunt intr-un maraton continuu.
Le am aproape, pentru a fi mereu in acele subiecte, pentru a face parte integranta din ele, pentru a fi unul de-al lor. Am incercat si subiecte din alte parti, dar mi s-a parut ca doar zgarii gheata la suprafata.
Poti intelege cu adevarat un subiect doar cand ajungi sa te simti acasa in el , spune Remus. Asa a facut si cu Bulbucatii , probabil faimosul lui proiect, ajuns in paginile revistelor internationale din zeci de tari.
– Catalin Gruia, Redactor-sef National Geographic Romania We got used to believing that we have to go far and away to explore. Nothing could be farther from the truth!
Perhaps the first one to brilliantly prove it, Xavier de Maistre was an -18th century aristocrat, a painter, a soldier and the author of a book that became famous: Voyage autour de ma chambre. Xavier decided to enjoy his six weeks of house arrest (following a duel), by exploring his own bedroom, in his dressing gown, with full receptiveness and curiosity, as if it were a remote and exotic realm.
This is what we also need in our everyday lives, notes English philosopher Alain de Botton in the preface to the latest English edition of A Journey Around My Room : to no longer blindly regard long-familiar things, to attempt to see them in a new light… I believe this is also the secret of photographer Remus Tiplea, who has created most of his stories in his natal area, Negresti-Oas.
I’m like a chicken staying close to the house, I’ll look for my subjects as close as possible. And this is not because it’s convenient, as I never seek convenience, I will go out and photograph them day and night.
When others spend their holidays with family, I’m on a perpetual mission. I hold them close, to always be in those sub-jects, to be a part of them, to be one of them.
I’ve also attempted subjects elsewhere, but it felt like I was only scratching the surface. One can truly understand a subject only when one feels at home within it „, says Remus.
That was also his process with Wide Eyed , probably his most famous project, that has reached the pages of international magazines in dozens of countries. – Catalin Gruia, Redactor-sef National Geographic Romania