photo4food grant
2026
On a knife-edge
As part of her residency, Claire Adelfang is dedicating a photographic series to the Levavasseur Spinning Mill, a former industrial gem of the Eure region that now lies abandoned. Built in the 19th century in the heart of the Andelle Valley, this spectacular neo-Gothic building, once powered by water, still bears the marks of its history, marked by several fires and the site’s permanent closure.
Through her use of medium-format film photography and a careful handling of light, the photographer offers a contemporary perspective on this ‘cathedral-factory’. The images go beyond mere heritage documentation to reveal a theatrical, almost surreal space, where water, vegetation and stone seem to interact in a delicate balance.
The project draws on the heritage of this site and invites visitors to look beyond the immediate reality, revealing various traces that tell the many different stories linked to this forgotten landmark.
A French photographer born in 1984 in Les Lilas, Claire Adelfang lives and works in Paris.
Sa pratique en argentique, sans manipulation, privilégie le format carré et des compositions frontales qui plongent au cœur des motifs jusqu’à l’abstraction. Inspirée par le cinéma d’auteur, elle photographie des architectures industrielles, militaires ou patrimoniales, théâtralisant les espaces, sans références temporelles. Son travail évoque la mémoire et les traces, souvent indirectes, de l’homme sur l’environnement, dans un dialogue silencieux et contemplatif. Représentée par The Spaceless Gallery (Paris – New-York), elle a exposé au Palais de Tokyo (Paris) et au MAC VAL (Vitry-sur-Seine). Ses œuvres figurent dans les collections du Château de Versailles et de la Maison européenne de la photographie (Paris).