Jérémy De Backer has been taking photographs for about ten years and enjoys telling stories by blending his great passion in life with science fiction.
The initial idea of this project is to mix his passions: nature and landscape photography and science fiction, and to add notions of respect for the environment, without being moralistic.
Through the vision of the Earth as an unexplored planet, it makes no sense to be round or flat, straight or linear; everything is merely an imaginary vision conceived in the photographer’s subconscious to discover the planet in a planetary sphere seen from space, but living on Earth.
The futuristic settings, which give an unreal impression to the « Terronaut, » the character in an astronaut suit, alone in the world, are all very real. No Photoshop or artificial intelligence is used for his photos, but a lot of preparation goes into them.
« For each place I want to go, I do extensive research: the best time, access, costs, duration, etc. Despite everything, some unknowns remain, like the weather, and you have to work with them, » explains Jérémy De Backer enthusiastically.
« Welcome to Earth » first took shape in the photographer’s mind in 2015, but it took shape in 2016, a year later, to truly build the project, but above all, to bring it to life publicly.
He feared that the project wouldn’t be appreciated, judged, or criticized. « Jérémy De Backer had the courage to show his work. Beyond pleasing the public, he exhibited in France, Belgium, and New York last year, and is currently exhibiting at the Sofitel Le Scribe hotel in Paris.
The Earthnaut is present in every photo; he is stateless, genderless, ageless; the character is played by relatives, friends, and most often his sister. « It’s not a favor I can ask of anyone to stay in a heavy suit for more than three hours, in summer or winter temperatures, without moving. »
For the photographer, the real subject is the Earth. His role is to put the place into perspective, adorn it, explore it, and capture the beauty of this planet.
« Welcome to Earth » is the first chapter of a trilogy about the place humans occupy on Earth. The other two chapters take the audience elsewhere, but always with this connection between humanity and its habitat.
With his job in the medical field as Director of Market Development and Marketing at MEDTRONIC, Jérémy only has a few weeks of vacation per year to escape and move forward with the project. « You have to produce a lot in a short time. » Of course, the budget and the availability of the model are also constraints to consider.
In the future, he would like to travel more often and make it his sole profession, although he doesn’t really consider it at the moment. It’s a matter of budget. Perhaps the situation will change very soon.
Jérémy De Backer and his project « Welcome to Earth » are on display. in Paris, at the Sofitel. He can hardly believe it. His childhood dream is coming true.
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