Enticing Sequences

French Canadian photographer Benoit Paillé’s (b. 1984) series Under Night is an exploration into narratives that occur when blanketed by darkness. Illuminated windows are suggestive and surreptitious, whilst strangers are caught in their unexplained affairs. All sequences are captured in the outdoors, which, whether rural or urban, is beautifully cast as an underworld for secrets. Stirring up playful irony, Paillé creates an interesting position for the onlooker. The scenes offer alluring scenarios occurring only under the protective cover of nightfall. Because of this, how does the viewer mediate as a conscious witness? Within the composition they become a voyeur, reflecting upon what they see without interacting with the characters involved. Although the artist has constructed these intriguing realities, he touches on fundamental concepts found in documentary photography that ask how the lens portrays the naturalistic play of events. www.benoitp.com.