Enora Bloc: "Polaroids are my psychoanalyst"

Enora Bloc Polaroid

Scrolling over Enora Bloc's Instagram profile feels like turning the page of your aunt's photo album found in a dark wooden closet of the country house where you used to spend lazy restless summers.

It's those warm, late summer sun rays that made me reach out to her. The exact same light that woke me up in my aunt's country house when I was not aware of who I was, and I wasn't even looking for.

Enora has been incredibly kind to be willing to open herself to my questions, and her words connect her Polaroids like a string of pictures hanging on your teenage wall.

1. Just a little about you: age, location, how di you pave your way into the arts.

My name is Enora, I'm 27 years old and I live in Nantes (France). After an art history high school diploma, I spent one year at Design school of Nantes and got a DUT in communication and cultural mediation at Toulouse University. I started photography night courses during High school and never stopped.

2. Whenever you're attempting a shot, are you looking for something specific in the result or you let the casualties of the world tell you their story?

I think I let the world (the sun to be specific) drive my practice. I rarely do some setting up. I just respond to the need of taking a picture, an instant. Most of the time I realise after time the meanings of the photographs, how much it means something to me, about me.

Enora Bloc Polaroid

3. At least looking at your Instagram feed, it's apparent that you started out looking for situations (building corners, people in actions, light striking on a wall,..) and then you transitioned to a more intimate approach with another person and yourself. What did this teach you about human nature and about yourself?

That's funny ! In fact, this account was my personal account first but in 2017 I started to have a few unknown followers and I started to feel uncomfortable sharing my personal life with strangers. So I started a new personal account and deleted a few pictures from the first one. Those pictures are from this period. To be honest my personal account is full of Iphone pictures of light striking on walls, shadows games and building corners. I guess it's still a thing for me.

Now, I realize how much my posts seem more personal than before. I share all my polaroids and they are more intimate than other pictures. How ironic is that !

I consider my polaroid work as a psychoanalysis. I discovered so much about myself with this practice and it slowly pushed me in the right direction. I learn a lot about my relationship with my family members (my mother mostly), boyfriends and people in general. Art is a really good way to understand yourself, to know what to work on and improve yourself, feel better. Without practicing photography I'm starting to feel out of my mind, definitely not in the mood so i guess it's pretty important to me to keep working on art projects.

4. Is there any recurring pattern in your sensations when you're out and about taking photos?

In fact, I feel like it's the sun and the burn which push me to take a picture. It's a brief instant of pure pleasure. It's indescribable sensations. I feel it in my hands, my heart, my guts and my eyes of course. It's like I HAVE TO.

5. Have you had any epiphanies or realizations about yourself while photographing?

I had a real epiphany few weeks ago. I have a serie called "Vendetta" about endometriosis. I suffer from this illness since my first periods. My grand-mother, mother and sister have suffered from it too. During vacation at my mom's place, 2 years ago, I took a picture of myself with flowers on my eyes. I didn't know what to do with but this polaroid felt special to me. Back then, It was a really hard time for me but I took the decision to do whatever it takes to get better in every ways. I started to do anything to realize my goals, to accept my body and feel great with myself. I started new things to canalize the endometriosis like changing my nutrition. And, few months ago, I read an article about the benefits of yarrow flowers on chronic pain. At this moment I realize it was the flower I put on my eyes 2 years ago. It was mind blowing ! I read it like it was a sign "You're on the good path !". Every single thing is connected in my works.

Enora Bloc