Le Grand Jour
Catherine Rombouts and Sophie Richelle
Loco
French
Hardcover
112 Pages
175 x 245 mm
2020
ISBN 9782843140235
Catherine Rombouts is a photographer, Christiane was her mother. Sophie Richelle is a historian. They tell, in a book with two voices, in images and texts, the end of Christiane’s life. In Belgium, euthanasia has been permitted within the strict framework of the law since 2002. This book offers an overview of the realities that it covers. For Christiane and others, the possibility of this choice allowed a more dignified death, in keeping with their definition of life. The photographs of Catherine Rombouts, who followed and accompanied her mother until her last moments, mingle with family photographs, everyday objects, and traces of a fulfilled life. Sophie Richelle’s texts, written from testimonies and more informative and quantified elements, put into perspective the singular and collective stories of euthanasia. Between moral, religious and political questions, euthanasia divides Europeans and leads to heated debates in countries tempted by legalization. Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg have taken the plunge and authorized the practice within a strictly defined framework.
In France, euthanasia, like assisted suicide, remains prohibited by law, even if, since 2016, the Claeys-Leonetti law gives the right to “deep sedation and continues until death”. In this heavy debate, revived by highly publicized cases (Vincent Humbert, Chantal Sébire, Vincent Lambert, Anne Bert), public opinion today seems to have evolved and opinion surveys show that a clear majority emerges in favor of euthanasia. This poignant and sensitive book aims to advance the debate within our society.
(source: https://peinture-fraiche.be/en/book/le-grand-jour-catherine-rombouts/)
About the Artists
Catherine Rombouts (b. 1963) lives and works in Brussels. In parallel with her painting work, which she has been practicing within the Atelier5 collective for twenty years, Catherine Rombouts discovered photography in the 2000s during internships. Very quickly, the pleasure of meeting him made him want to enroll in the Contraste workshop (Brussels) to develop his work there. Since then, she has explored societal issues and individual journeys through photography. She questions the notions of collective or personal memory.
catherinerombouts.com
(source: https://www.catherinerombouts.com/apropos)
Sophie Richelle holds a master’s degree in history from the Free University of Brussels and a doctorate in history from the University of Luxembourg. His research crosses the notions of spaces and experiences. From the asylum for the insane to the old people’s homes, she continues her questions today with the public baths (project supported by the FRS-FNRS). By placing at the center of her attention the sensitive, material and human experience of constricted and particular spaces, she tries to tell the story of those who had left no traces.
(source: https://www.pur-editions.fr/product/ean/9782753577176/hospices)
About the Publisher
Éditions Loco is a publishing house based in Paris, France, specializing in contemporary art, design, architecture and photography.
editionsloco.com
