In Noir City, The American photographer offers us a mysterious and suspenseful dive into the imagery of iconic American crime films of the 1940s and 1950s.
Jason Tannen is a lover of urban landscapes and film noir. For more than thirty years, his black and white photographic explorations have probed the effervescence of the streets of Chicago, Cincinnati, New York and San Francisco, capturing passersby, architecture, shop windows and narrow alleyways.
This 74-year-old American photographer is also a curator and teacher. He also gives lectures, such as the one on Weegee that examined the working process of the man he considers "the archetype of the 20th-century sensationalist press photographer."e century ".
In Noir CityHe combines his reflections by blending his two great passions to create enigmatic, dark, and dramatic atmospheres. Chiaroscuro, plays of shadow and light, skewed framing, smoky interiors, blurring effects, furtive characters whose faces are half-hidden… All the ingredients of the golden age of American crime films are there. "My approach to photography combines the spontaneity of street photography with the calculations of a film set," says he.
The folds of memory
Having taught the history of photography and film at several universities, he developed a particular interest in cinematic form. He favored wide shots, close-ups, and cuts to better sequence them. These fragmented scenes, taken out of context, tell dark and disturbing stories on their own. Because Noir City does not stop at the still image.
Over the years, his series has expanded into installations, performances, and a narrative short film. The Pressman Negatives. In nearly ten minutes, this photographic narrative, accompanied by a jazzy soundtrack and a voiceover, explores notions of time, memory, and authenticity. The story documents the final days of jewel thief Sidney Pressman and his accomplices after a last robbery gone wrong in a Midwestern town in the 1970s.
Suspense, mystery and archetype are thus the key words of Jason Tannen, whose work throughout his career has been presented in exhibitions and screenings in the United States and abroad.
