Augure is a visual essay on news photography from the 1960s and 70s, created using clippings from the leading news magazine of the era. The series juxtaposes commercial imagery with reportage to explore the duplicity of photographic practice and the influence of advertising on our collective imagination.

At a time when French television was still a state monopoly (and officially remained so until 1982), and when radio and print media were dominant, weekly newspapers represented a professional consecration for many photojournalists, offering large-format, full-color publications. Print media was also a boon for advertisers, who saw in this large format and the promise of striking reports a prime opportunity for advertising.

Combining often violent images of conflict with equally direct depictions of the products and precepts of consumer society, Augure revisits an ambiguous and crucial era for the future of photography: the idea of photographic objectivity was fading in favor of the recognition of the photographer as author, and the growing presence of advertising images patiently molded readers into future consumers. In this schizophrenic environment, accounts of major geopolitical events (decolonization, the Vietnam War, May '68, the Prague Spring, etc.) existed alongside the promotion of a Citroën DS, an electric razor, or a vacuum cleaner, and the faces of political leaders became indistinguishable from those of movie stars. The line between information and communication blurred, and history was now written from events whose nature—whether historical fact, promotional content, or anecdote—was difficult to discern.

By reinterpreting the visual allure of a bygone era, Augure plays on visual juxtapositions to suggest that even today, history is less a matter of framing than of montage. A semiotic puzzle, the series can be read—like the Greek and Roman priests—as a game of interpreting signs and symbols extracted from the depths of the press.

Technical Information:

• Author: Rodrigue de Ferluc
  
• Graphic Design: Rodrigue de Ferluc
  
• Format: 270 x 350 mm
  
• Number of Pages: 52
  
• Printing: Monochrome black and tri-color risograph (yellow, red, blue) on 90 gsm
• Munken Print White paper
  
• Typography: Romie (Margot Lévêque)