Lionelle M

Born in 1974 and after more than 20 years in engineering in Toulouse, Lionelle M decided to give photography back its essential role by making it her own means of expression.

With a Polaroid in her hands at the age of seven and a camera barely a year later, she grew up with a passion for photography and video. Photography was a simple silver-based hobby in the 90s, and gradually became a sensitive refuge, but she had never sought to share these intimate territories.

Since 2016, she has been committed to structuring her practice, whether through personal research, by attending exhibitions, festivals and fairs, or by taking part in community projects.

In 2021 and 2022, in evening classes at the BLOO school, she trained in storytelling in order to refine her photographic writing. The Remanence series was exhibited on this occasion, in June 2022.

Realising that she was not the only one concerned by the issue of deserting engineers, she felt the need to revisit her own journey, to put it into images, words and emotions. That was the birth of Dassō-hei.

In 2023, she was selected for session #2 of the Mentor prize in Bordeaux with Dassō-hei. That same year, the series was exhibited in Charleville-Mézières (09), in St Genest-Lerpt (42). It was also shown in Aubenas (07). Dassō-hei was also exhibited at the STENOPEDIES in Clermont-Ferrand (63).

At the end of 2023, she was awarded the Grand Prix des Nuits Photos (LNP 2023) with UNFRAMED, a first attempt at a photo film on the issue of gender performance. In the same vein, she wanted to explore the possibility of bringing Dassō-hei to the screen. The eponymous 12-minute film that saw the light of day in September 2024 was screened at the inaugural Nuits Photos (LNP 2024), confirming her interest in this new writing.

In this way, after many detours, she has returned to my childhood passion for still and moving images, at the crossroads of photography and video. 

(Source: www.ikonotekphotography.fr)