The dark past and the lyrical today. By Alexandra CROIZET & Alice EMBERGER

Top photo:

I took this photograph on the 19th February 2015 in Châteaugay, the place where I live, at the castle, next to the old village center. At that moment, what I saw was the castle of course, but also some people who looked weird and, I think, not quite sober… There were old houses which had broken shutters. As it was 7 o'clock in the evening, I heard the sound of the church bells just next to the castle, in the same square. I also heard the weird people; they were talking about the village news. I didn't smell anything because I had a cold on that day! But, even if I couldn't smell anything, I could feel the very cold wind. I felt scared because it was dark and strange, and I couldn't wait to leave this place which was not very pleasant.

The best name I found to illustrate my photo is “A light in the dark”, because there is a light in the middle of my photo which is very dark, and I think it is quite artistic!

At the bottom of the picture, there is a path leading to the castle entrance. On the left of this path, there is a circular tower made of stone with a little door at its bottom. Next to the tower and in the middle of the picture, there is an old dilapidated little house. It has a white door, a chimney, a gutter and a very little window (which looks like a microwave oven), there is also a black bin in front of the house. In the background, there is the castle tower (the dungeon) which has a gargoyle and crenellations on its top. Then, on the right of the path, there is another strange house with stairs to reach the entrance. In the foreground side of this strange house, we can see another gutter, mould, and a sign of the path’s name. In the middle of the picture, there is a yellow light which illuminates the path. But we can also notice the blue sky, an electric wire and a generator.

I know that the castle’s dungeon dates back to the 14th century. The castle is now called “Châteaugay”, but it was first baptized “Vigosche castle”. This gay castle has nevertheless witnessed several sordid affairs such as the time when Pierre II de Giac poisoned his wife, the mistress of Jean Sans Peur, in 1426.

This place is an historical symbol which represents the village. Nowadays, it’s not the popular center where everybody goes, because it inspired fear and disgust as it is dark and quite dirty. To my mind, this place has two sides: a positive one and a negative one. It is positive because without the castle, my town has nothing special to offer. But it’s also negative because as I said, it inspired fear and disgust.

Bottom photo:

I took this photograph on 21st February 2015 in Cébazat, at the Semaphore, next to the music school, at approximately 11 am. What I saw there was the music school, the Semaphore, some artists who were probably coming to prepare their show and a dog with its owner. I heard a jazz band and the dog barking. I smelt the rain coming, so I was a little bit in a hurry as I didn't want to get wet. The temperature was about 8°C and it was windy.

I could give my photo “Music Lines” as a title, because the place refers to music, and the picture is full of different lines.

There is tarmac on the lower half of the picture, with posts of different sizes which make half of a roundabout around the Semaphore’s arch. The arch is made of a blue curved column pierced with three circles of different sizes. It is attached to the sign of Semaphore. Then, at the middle distance, there is the building of the Semaphore. It is grey, blue and white, and its architecture is full of lines, as for example the blue ones, which are all around the main building. We can also see, in the background, a sky full of dark clouds, which announce the rain. On the left side, there is a bin (only for dogs) and on the other side, next to the arch, there are three posts which are supposed to have flags on them, but they didn’t at the time the photo was taken.

The Semaphore is a concert hall and a theater room. It was inaugurated in 1998 and it can contain more than 500 persons. It also where the festival “Semaphore en chanson” is held each year.

The photo says that it is a very "cultural" place, a meeting point for a lot of artists, and more particularly musicians. It’s also a place of relaxation and pleasure for the audience. The architecture of this place is based on lines: everything is very linear, from the buildings to the posts. To my mind it gives positive feelings about the city because it depicts a modern and cultural place, where different kinds of art can perfectly match.

The picture of the castle represents darkness and the old side of a town, while that of the Semaphore is very bright and it represents the modern side of a town.