The Blue Hour

Morgan: Hello, my name is Morgan Roué, I am an anaesthesiologist  in the North of Paris and also a photographer. When I started photography, partly by chance, I didn’t think it would be possible to reconcile medicine with another passion. However, over the years, I have to admit that I was mistaken. There are many similarities between these two disciplines: precision of gestures, technical reflections, freedom of practice… After all, some people still consider medicine as an art. This status of independent photographer allows me to remain close to my convictions. In search of a certain form of authenticity, film photography was the perfect medium. Since then, I have been modestly trying to convey the vision of my environment or my travels through images, sometimes tinged with dreaminess, but with the concern of a sober and raw rendering.

How do you manage to work so well together in a big crew?

TRAKA: All of us have their personal space, life and time. We are 3 countries, 4 individual lives, focused on TRAKA’s development. We are not in a way of each other, and as friends first, we tend to understand if a member has a to-do list that life has set upon him. Therefore, we understand each other’s needs prior to providing the best versions of ourselves for TRAKA. Some artwork is done by one person instead of 2, sometimes 3 of us collaborate on a tune, sometimes two, sometimes our ego’s have a urge to be independent on a TRAKA tune, we give time and space for the best result.

Morgan: For this series, I wanted to capture the atmosphere of the Olympiades district during the Lunar New Year. Located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, the district is known for its large Asian community. Built in the 70’s, it differs significantly from the usual Haussmannian Parisian style with a brutalist feel typical of the time. The place is particularly photogenic between the towers and the interior shopping malls, it is well known by Parisian photographers looking for a change of scenery. The idea was to do a night series during the blue hour, to capture the urban essence of the place while giving a timeless and universal aspect. I photographed in natural light with the Cinestill 800T, its electric rendering is perfectly adapted to these low light conditions. Finally I find that the series is rather in harmony with the main theme of Traka with its very urban and oriental side.

How is graffiti intertwined in your work and do you see similarities between music and graffiti in terms of approach?

TRAKA: The two members in charge of the artwork (one of which makes beats as well) approach this with ultimate creativity, for the audio side of TRAKA it’s our pleasure to inspire our visual artists to the point where they feel glad to combine their artwork with the song that emerged. They become willingly compelled.