Nurse coordinator and deputy head of the “care offer” department at the health department of the municipality of Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), Laure Duchet is also a photographer. Women strongly inspire her artistic work. And for his new exhibition The nursing bodiesit is the caregivers who are in the spotlight.
A caregiver photographed for the exhibition. © Laure Duchet.
“I have an atypical professional background “says Laure Duchet by way of introduction.
And that is to say the least. After having followed, post-baccalaureate, studies in nursing, she practices the profession while being an actress, director and photographer. ” I have always navigated between the world of care and the artistic world “, she explains.
Today, the meeting between these two worlds gives rise to an exhibition, which will take place on November 29 at the town hall of Saint-Denis.
Between nine and ten nurses working in municipal health centers, community health centers, addiction care, support and prevention centers (CSAPA) and advanced practice nurses (IPA), took part in the game. of the photographer.
” My goal is to highlight them and put their words on their definition of care, of taking care, of the way they take care of themselves, on the relationship they have with their body,” explains the photographer.
In addition to photographic portraits, Laure Duchet interviewed and recorded them. A sound creation will be listened to in parallel with the discovery of the portraits.
Take care of women
” This exhibition is the result of a journeysays Laure Duchet. I started photography in 2012 and in 2016, I did an exhibition ″Louves″ around women. »
And to continue: I have taken many series of photos related to female bodies and the fight against subpoenas. My goal was to take pictures of pregnant women or women who had just given birth, to highlight them, and to show another image of pregnancy and femininity. I also wanted to make people accept the possibility of talking about the taboo linked to postpartum difficulties in order to give visibility to this passage in a woman’s life.. »
The practice of her photography is anchored at this moment of her life in feminism. Women of different ages and social backgrounds then come to her to be photographed. ” I noticed that all of them had a hard look on their bodies, she shares. I then wished, by taking a picture of them, to help them to love each other. I endorsed a dimension of care by taking pictures of them because, in my opinion, the gaze is another way of taking care of others. »
act as a link
At the same time, as part of her nursing practice, Laure Ducret discovers, on arriving at the municipal health center Le Cygne, Saint-Denis in December 2019, a great freedom of action and collaboration with doctors.
” I was no longer seen as just an executor, and I found that exciting, especially as women’s health issues come to the fore. “, she underlines.
Then there was the Covid. ” Personally, as I had photo projects in parallel and therefore a balance, I did not experience the period badly.she recalls. On the other hand, I saw the suffering of my colleagues, and from that moment on, I asked who took care of the caregivers. What are we doing for them? »
At the end of the health crisis, during various multidisciplinary meetings, she noticed that the link and communication were broken between the management and the caregivers. ” I felt in betweenshe says. This is why I applied for the post of coordinator. to the city’s health department. I wanted to take care of caregivers, help management understand the issues in the field and create spaces for reflection to think about care. »
The impact on the body
It was in the context of her function as coordinator that she decided to organize this photo exhibition to put caregivers in the spotlight, “ bring them to light and discuss their relationship to bodiesshe says. The black and white portrait photos, taken in the studio, reflect the caregivers’ relationship to their bodies. I interviewed them on the subject, then asked them to embody what they told me, by making movements to feel good, to relieve themselves, to show the places of tension, of impossibility. »
And to continue: Nursing has an impact on our body. The fact of caring for another body, of having physical contact with another person is not insignificant and necessarily influences the way one feels physically. In my opinion, it is interesting to wonder about this impact, to put words to its definition. »
For some caregivers, the exercise was difficult. But they all have thirsty » of this space open only for them, and within which they were not in action.
The exhibition, financed by the municipality, the Fondation de France, and the Professional Territorial Health Community (CPTS) La maison de la santé, could take place in several places in Saint-Denis, because the photographer ” would like it to be mobile and visible to many caregivers “, she concludes.
Laura Martin
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Location – Town hall of Saint-Denis – 2 place du Caquet, 93200 Saint-Denis. November 29.
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