Trainee at the Tremplin in Fribourg, Benhur Spaetig imagined a photo exhibition to overcome the stigma and highlight the human.
Benhur (second from left) captured by the Tremplin exhibition photographer. © Muriel Rieben Florence
Published on 18.07.2022
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Heart stroke “ On May 16, the Tremplin was in turmoil. They were about sixty, gathered under the flash of Muriel Florence Rieben. The project of Benhur Spaetig, 28, Giving people back their place as citizens came to life. “Through this photo shoot, I want to show that every man and woman is a citizen in the same way as the others,” notes the social work student. We cannot differentiate people defined as on the margins of society and others on their physical appearance.
In 2007, the artists JR and Marco, in their project Face2Face, posted pictures of the faces of Palestinians and Israelis in the areas of separation between the two peoples. The goal was to show that all were equal and that we could not differentiate them. “I had a lot of trouble differentiating between beneficiaries and employees when I started my internship at Le Tremplin. I thought it would be interesting to set up a project similar to that of JR and Marco. The goal would be to dismantle the stigmatization of which the beneficiaries are victims in order to see the human above all”, explains Benhur.
After meeting several photographers, he ended up finding Muriel Florence Rieben, whose photographic aesthetic was in tune with the values of Le Tremplin. He then motivated about fifteen beneficiaries of the foundation to participate in the shooting. On D-Day, about sixty members were present. “I saw happy and motivated participants who had regained possession of their bodies and their personalities,” says Benhur. In addition, links were quickly created with the photographer, which allowed her to draw inspiration from the values of Le Tremplin to highlight them.
This project also seems to have done some good for the beneficiaries of the Tremplin: while some said they were “only drug addicts”, they were able to change their vision of themselves during the project.
The opening will take place on July 21 at 5 p.m. at the Tremplin. The exhibition, which will remain for some time, is open to anyone interested.