"The memory of tears” Self-portraits of people crying In the series "The memory of tears" "I asked individuals met in the street to cry genuinely in a situation that ironically is not spontaneous and to make an unique self-portrait at the most intense of their tears. For the series of blind self-portraits entitled "The gaze of the blind" I stayed in the studio to show through my voice where was the camera, whereas for the mourners I let every single person in a face to face with himself. Each took the time he needed to cry. In some cases, it took just 3 minutes, other times it could last more than an hour. As soon as I caught the light of the flash going off under the studio door, I would go back inside and help the subject get over and make the transition between emotion and the return to relative calm. I would then ask them to describe me what were the thoughts, memories or scenarios they had searched inside of themselves to motivate these tears and then I would record their words and emotions. Georges Pacheco
