Barrois reinterprets Agnes Varda’s Daguerreotypes in Rue Daguerre, part of Gallery Closed’s Exhibition Copy series, with a focus on community and urban transformation.
Professor Lyndon Barrois Jr. presents Rue Daguerre as part of Gallery Closed’s Exhibition Copy series, a tribute to Agnes Varda’s 1975 documentary Daguerreotypes, which captured the everyday lives of shopkeepers on the Parisian street where Varda lived. This summer, Barrois spent time documenting present-day details of Rue Daguerre, creating new artworks that contrast the street’s evolution with Pittsburgh’s Lowrie Street. His work features superimposed images, objects, and signage that play with the similarities and differences between these two neighborhood arteries, exploring how communities change over time.
Barrois launched the exhibition with an artist talk and walking tour on September 28. Through this project, Barrois reflecting on how communities sustain themselves and what has been lost or overlooked. In some cases, there are perfect alignments, while in others, what exists is not exactly as advertised.
“I loved this neighbourhood… there was absolutely everything you needed to live – a bakery, a butcher, a coiffeur, a hardware store, a tailor, a grocer’s shop, a clock repairman – and I enjoyed that very much, having everything I need, just down my street.” -Agnes Varda, 2012