Curation done by Hugo Passarello Luna. Used with permission.
The recent Paris Terrorist attacks were extremely tragic–and as a journalist, Hugo Passarello Luna has tried to make sense of the events that happened previously by piecing them together via Instagram.
“I have looked for the last images posted on Instagram of the places that were attacked before the tragedy took place.” says Hugo in an email to the Phoblographer. He’s essentially trying to “stop time” using the Instagram timeline and see what those places meant to people, before they became a place of mourning.
Hugo’s analysis explores different ways and angles to tell the story of the events that happened in the area before tragedy struck.
“One week after the Paris attacks of November 13th, I posted a photo on Instagram of Le Carillon, one of the places targeted by the terrorists.” says Hugo. “In the posted image I added the location and using that option I clicked to see what others photos had been posted of the same place. Unsurprisingly, there were already many images and mostly similar: flowers on the sidewalk, candles and people lighting candles, people mourning, some French flags, letters, portraits of the victims. You scroll down and the photos repeat themselves hundreds of times. Until they do not.”
Hugo’s project is after the jump.
“To deny temporal succession, to deny the self, to deny the astronomical universe, appear to be acts of desperation and are secret consolations. Our destiny is not terrifying because it is unreal; it is terrifying because it is irreversible and iron-bound.” Jorge Luis Borges, A New Refutation of Time, (1946) One week after the Paris attacks of November 13th, I posted a photo on Instagram of Le Carillon, one of the places targeted by the terrorists.
In the posted image I added the location and using that option I clicked to see what others photos had been posted of the same place. Unsurprisingly, there were already many images and mostly similar: flowers on the sidewalk, candles and people lighting candles, people mourning, some French flags, letters, portraits of the victims. You scroll down and the photos repeat themselves hundreds of times.
Until they do not.
There was a photo posted exactly one week before that attacks, on November 6th. We see Le Carillon in a different light, innocent and carefree. There is a book, a beer and a coffee in the foreground. A man standing in the background, apparently talking to someone else, oblivious of the photo being taken. Just like the photo taker is unaware of what will happen a week later.
Could we stop the feed of images there? Can we live in a universe that stood still in that moment, eternally observing the book, the beer, the coffee and the man talking? Can we freeze time just like a photo does?
We cannot travel back in time but we can explore past perceptions of those places. I chose to do it Instagram.
These are that last images posted before those places took a different tragic meaning.
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Le Carillon
Photo by @nourayoub found with the location
option.
Posted on Nov 6, 2015 at 5:54am PST
Les régimes totalitares brûlent les livres,
la démocratie les noie. #JeanZeboulon
Le Petit Cambodge
Photo by @raphlanf found using the location option. Posted on Nov 11, 2015 at 3:10pm PST
✨🍜 Nothing like a bobun date on a day off 🍴✨ @noelouisp #armisticeday #bobun #asianfood #beautifulday #wednesdayoff #holiday #sunnynovember #notsocold #notsohealthyfood #latelunch #friendship #love A photo posted by Raphaëlle Lanfranconi (@raphlanf) on
Photo by @k_tonys86 found using the location option. Posted on Nov 11, 2015 at 12:09pm PST
B E A U – B U N. | 😋🍜. #bobun #lepetitcambodge #bankholiday #dinner A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀K-Tony S. (@k_tonys86) on
Photo by @naomswell found using the location option. Posted on Nov 10, 2015 at 9:28am PST
Shrimp soup ILY 🍲 A photo posted by Naomi Clément (@naomswell) on
Photo by @v.bring found using hashtag #lepetitcambodge. Posted on Nov 8, 2015 at 11:49am PST
@ange.la.mu.ller @cocoinstargramme @lepetitcambodge #lepetitcambodge #chillonsaturday #paris10 #paris #nofilter A photo posted by @v.bring on
Photo by @ange.la.mu.ller found using hashtag #lepetitcambodge. Posted on Nov 7, 2015 at 6:10am PST
🎈 #lescopains #lepetitcambodge A photo posted by Angela. M. (@ange.la.mu.ller) on
Café Bonne Bière
Photo by @emmanuelvivier found using the location option. Posted on Nov 6, 2015 at 2:16pm PST
#photo #portrait of Bryan James JR Leavy #smile #digital #man #entrepreneur #paris #france #photography #model #canon #5dmarkii More photos on https://www.facebook.com/emmanuelvivierphoto A photo posted by Emmanuel Vivier (@emmanuelvivier) on
Photo by @vincent.howl found using the location option. Posted on Oct 20, 2015 at 1:03am PDT
Loubards sympas 💪🏻 #monfrere #brother #family #loubard #sailor #badboy #happy #neiborhood #mood #goodtime #bleudepaname #wesc #coffeetime #selfie #igers #igersparis #vsco #vscocam #vscogood A photo posted by Vincent Ligny (@vincent.howl) on
Photo by @chialestephanie found using the hashtag #cafebonnebiere. Posted on Oct 11, 2015 at 8:05am PDT
#cafebonnebiere #coffeebreak A photo posted by Stéphanie Chiale (@chialestephanie) on
Bataclan
Photo by @ledams found using the location option. Posted on Nov 13, 2015 at 11:40am PST
Friday Night ! ⚡️⚡️⚡️ #music #song #songs #melody #rock #love #instagood #partymusic #newsong #lovethissong #favoritesong #bestsong #photooftheday #bumpin #repeat #listentothis #goodmusic #instamusic#gig #eodm #bootselectric #jessehughes #joshhomme #eaglesofdeathmetal #concert #bataclan A photo posted by Damien RIGONDEAUD (@ledams) on
Photo by @jmaccaud found using location option. Posted on Nov 13, 2015 at 10:14am PST
Cinq mois sans vous voir les potes, c’était trop. #EODM #EaglesOfDeathMetal #JesseHughes #bataclan A photo posted by Jérémy Maccaud 🇫🇷 🇨🇭 (@jmaccaud) on
Photo by @fehmilicious found with hashtag #lebataclan Posted on Nov 13, 2015 at 10:10am PST
Bu gece boyle #eodm #jessehughes #rocknroll A photo posted by @fehmilicious on
La Belle Équipe
Photo by @florianenvt found using location option. Posted on Nov 13, 2015 at 4:01am PST
Happy birthday my love 😍 @lcorentinb A photo posted by Floriane Nvt (@florianenvt) on PST
Comptoir Voltaire
Photo by @stylishparis_ found using the location option. Posted on Nov 10, 2015 at 12:20pm PST
Comptoir Voltaire. #paris #stylishparis Insp. #berbererie #berbere #stylishparis #style #fashion #ethniquechic #bohochic #bohemechic #berberechic #jewels #jewelry #inspiration #inspo #inspi #turquoise #silver #sun #boho #boheme #bohemian #bobo #bobochic #ethnic #ethnique #home #deco #scandinave A photo posted by STYLISH PARIS ▫️ميليا (@stylishparis_) on
Photo by @stylishparis_ found using the location option. Posted on Nov 1, 2015 at 10:27am PST
Avant théâtre. #comptoirvoltaire #stylishparis Insp. #berbererie #berbere #stylishparis #style #fashion #ethniquechic #bohochic #bohemechic #berberechic #jewels #jewelry #inspiration #inspo #inspi #turquoise #silver #sun #boho #boheme #bohemian #bobo #bobochic #ethnic #ethnique A photo posted by STYLISH PARIS ▫️ميليا (@stylishparis_) on
Photo by @elie.zl found using the hashtag #comptoirvoltaire. Posted on Jun 8, 2015 at 6:49am PDT
#Paris #France #comptoirvoltaire #sunshine A photo posted by Elie Zaslavoski (@elie.zl) on
Photo by @gus.belhassen found using the hashtag #comptoirvoltaire. Posted on Jun 6, 2015 at 11:25am PDT
#comptoirvoltaire #rosehappy #lignedartconcept #spotterrassemidiminuit #molleton #paris11 #sun 👓 A photo posted by snap: hugo.belhassen (@gus.belhassen) on