Revêtir: Breton Dancers and the Art of Dressing
"Oh, the perfection of the hands shaping the garments, giving them form so they can serve the body, the gestures themselves become lace and embroidery, just as the hands of the gardeners become flowers. That is when we take time to linger over the tulle piping, the tight pleating of heavy fabrics, the pin cushion, the weight of the wing of a headdress, the fire of a cheek, the down on the nape of a neck, the drape of a shawl." - Jane Sautière, Coifs.
French photographer Aurélie Scouarnec has been fascinated by traditional Breton costumes ever since she can remember. Although she grew up in the Paris region, her family originates from Britanny, and school holidays were always spent back there. Childhood memories have shaped her inner landscape - "I had a little book that showed the diversity of traditional costumes in Britanny, I loved reading it," she recalls - while connecting her to something much greater than self. Aurélie’s paternal grandmother had been an active member of the Celtic circles and they were a major part of her life: "she told me a lot about them, and she took me dancing too," she explains, underlining the importance of transmission and how her own great grandmother’s costumes have been saved preciously to preserve their cultural legacy.
Cercle celtique de Landivisiau (Danserien Lann Tivizio)
As Aurélie can confirm, Celtic circles are very much alive and kicking in Britanny today. Thanks to the confidence and enthusiasm of Mathieu Lamour and the Kenleur Confederation for Breton Culture*, she was able to undertake a two-year project called Gwiskañ to capture the various stages of their Celtic Dance Championships, between 2022 and 2024. This photo-documentation culminated in a book, Revêtir (Gwiskañ, Haner, Dress,) published by Éditions Rue du Bouquet, last November.
Although she decided to take a few Breton dance lessons to broaden her knowledge and experience first hand some of the many different dances she would later see being performed, her intention was to turn her camera backstage from the outset: "I felt like I hadn't seen the images I wanted to see yet, something very sensory, linked to my memories. It is easy to find lots of photos of parades and shows, but there are far fewer capturing what happens during the preparations," she says, adding: "These are the moments that fascinate me the most (…). For this photographic project, I wanted to get as close as possible to what happens between the bodies and the textiles at the time of dressing."...
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Photography: Aurélie Scouarnec
Words: Deborah Eydmann
Revêtir
(Gwiskañ, Haner, Dress)
Format: 22 x 31.5 cm
144 pages
74 photographs
Published by Éditions Rue du Bouquet
REVÊTIR - Aurélie SCOUARNEC | Rue Du Bouquet
*The Kenleur Confederation For Breton Culture, thanks to its work of collection, transmission and promotion, has become the reference for Breton clothing.
Lead Image: Cercle celtique de Saint-Évarzec (Kanfarded Sant-Evarzeg)