A project dedicated to photography look-alikes around the world, organize an international exhibition with them and publish a book. François Brunelle is the author of the project and the protagonist of this interview. He also has a double, maybe more than one.
When did you begin the Project and what was the very first spark of the idea?
FB: In 1999. Before that I had noticed the likeness between people for very many, many years and also I saw someone who looked pretty much like me on TV and it was the famous English character Mister Bean. Then I had this idea to find look-alikes and bring them together in front of my camera. I was convinced that the result would be interesting, if not fascinating.
From Greek and Latin myths to psychology, the Sosia, the doppelganger, has several metaphorical meanings. What inspired you the most and what is the deeper sense of the project?
FB: Who am I? That is the question I ask myself when I look at the mirror. Am I what I see? What if someone else, somewhere in the world is seeing the same thing in the mirror? If two people look the same, and they are definitely not the same person at all, then who are they in reality? What makes us what we are? In the famous play by Plauto, Amphytrion, Sosia faces the God Mercury who disguised himself as Sosia, and after a while discussing who is the real Sosia, Sosia himself declares to Mercury: The more I look at you the more I tend to think that you are the real Sosia!
How difficult is it to create pairs of people who often don't know each other? How is their reaction when they meet?
FB: Surprisingly, when two Doppelgängers meet for the first time, they get along very well, right away, with no exception. Probably because the other person looks familiar. Of course, there are people who don't want to participate. They may dislike seeing someone like them. Some look-a-likes think that they do not qualify, even though the likeness is very good. That's why I call my project I'm not a double! (In Italian, ed.) I let my subjects do the talking, but the viewer decides if they look-alike or not and to what extent.
What was the couple that surprised you the most?
FB: Probably two ladies who showed up at my studio both with the same dress. I thought they were sisters so I had to tell them that the photo session was cancelled because there was a misunderstanding. My project was not about relatives. But they were just friends who happened to look the same. They had decided to wear the same dress for the photo session.
The use of black and white is evidently evocative. Can you give us any technical tips for having that strong result?
FB: By eliminating color one can concentrate a lot on facial features and finally the character. A unique light helps create shadows. The shadows determine the aspect of the personality.
How many couples have you photographed so far?
FB: About 250
Have you already found your double?
FB: Yes, first Mr. Bean, then here in Montréal, an actor, Jean Maheux, who looks very much like me or should I say that I look very much like him. And then I received a few emails from people having found my double, sending me a photo of the look-a-like that they have found. Interesting.