PLUGS

Have you ever been impressed in childhood by these strange little holes in walls that it was unwise to touch?

The "Plugs" photographic series was born out of a command from France's WAD magazine who had asked me to develop a personal artisitic series on women ...

When I travel, in each new space, my eye used to stop on electrical plugs. I was fascinated by the richness and curiosity of their shapes and forms. So when recently, as I was strolling through historic department store BHV in Paris, the female telephone plugs revealed themselves as obvious, transparent erotic symbols. I did not need to look further for a metaphor of women and decided to connect, through this series, the familiar object, and the symbol of what it might be.

My thinking was initially based on the power of domination which the feeling of being idealized can give to women, and of course the ambiguity of such a power (objectified). I realized that these were my own fantasies somewhat debating with questions about the identity of women today.

This series was made with a trusted team which has accompanied me during  previous series ("Ladies and Gentlemen",  "Making history"): Brice Compagnon (Casting), Mario Faundez (Styling), Elise Ducrot (make-up) and Charlotte Abele (photo assitant).

Lately,  I have been working in Tokyo on a personal series of young women draped only in a long blue sheet ...

Vanessa Victoria Franklin

Paris, 2004