since 1998

Our photographs and films about social issues are displayed in exhibitions and public spaces.

"from empathetic design to caring images"

We create books, limited-edition prints, and exhibitions based on the true stories of our models. We partner with non-profits to empower individuals.

all rights reserved © christian barre 2021

since 1998

Our photographs and films about social issues are displayed in exhibitions and public spaces.

"from empathetic design to caring images"

We create books, limited-edition prints, and exhibitions based on the true stories of our models. We partner with non-profits to empower individuals.

all rights reserved © christian barre 2021

books

exhibitions

Summer 2021

books

The poignant stories of
Rhea

Part 3:

"I found a new apartment which is a new beginning with the help of organization called Diogene. They are organization that helps in re-establishment giving the person a chance to have his or her own home, the rent is subsidized by government funding and the renter pays 25% of their income for the rent."

Summer 2020

exhibition

Circumstances leading to periods of exclusion are numerous. They remain confusing for the people concerned and they are complex to represent. They are painful to remember. Participants need to have a strong mental capacity to tell the background of an unforeseen situation.

Rosemarie

Chantal

Estelle

Summer 2020

People who rely on begging face a difficult situation. The digitization of economic transactions considerably reduces the possibility of obtaining "pocket change".

Winter 2011

exhibition

Applause - (42 minutes)
Was presented in the main corridor of the World Trade Centre in Montreal during Art Souterrain 2011. 42 guests of the Old Mission Brewery applauding for a minute in front of the camera. Subtitles by Marx.

About
Christian
Barré

As a result of constantly pushing boundaries, Barre has emphasized art as conditional, responding to and recognizing the specific context in which it exists. He distinguishes between a very simple aesthetic example of combining reasons and a more sophisticated version of compassion, in which empathy is paired with objectivity. Basically, empathy is envisioned as a common denominator for transforming aesthetic content into political impact.  

He showed his works at the Mois de la photo, the Biennale de Montréal and Territories Urbains at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal in 2005. He participated in Quebec in the residency of the Band Vidéo, the Centre Sagamie, Daïmon, and the Kultuuritehas Polymer MTÜ in Estonia. In 2010, he won the 2nd international prize for the redevelopment of the Champ de Mars in Montreal, Quebec.  

Contact christian barre studio

How can I help?

Please fill out the form below if you have any questions about my work, and I will respond as quickly as possible.

books

exhibitions

empowerment

links

Discussions around empowerment are commonly limited to activities associated with ‘economic’,socialand ‘political’ empowerment (see Box 1).

Transforming power relations does require intervention in these different dimensions and levels, but this paper takes the debate beyond such a sectoral approach to explore a number of conceptual issues that have practical implications for the operationalisation of empowerment. The main issues covered by the paper include:
 
The recent history of the use of the term ‘empowerment’ in development;
 
Different definitions and conceptual approaches to empowerment; and
 
Various operational implications of these debates, including whether empowerment is viewed  as a process or an outcome; how power operates; strategies for inclusion; and implications of  working on empowerment with partners.”

Luttrell, Cecilia & Quiroz, Sitna & Scrutton, Claire & Bird, Kate. (2009). Understanding and Operationalising Empowerment.

Pour qui cherche à saisir ce que signifie le care, cette réédition d’un livre paru en 2005 (augmenté d’une conférence de Carol Gilligan de 2009 et d’une préface à la nouvelle édition) est un trésor : cet ouvrage collectif ne se contente pas en effet de proposer de grands textes des principaux animateurs de ce courant philosophique, il les articule entre eux et les met en discussion les uns avec les autres, chacun des auteurs ayant sans doute été invité à lire et travailler les points de vue des autres, ce qui est bien rare dans ce genre d’ouvrage. L’ensemble proposé offre ainsi au lecteur une pensée dense et argumentée, cohérente avec son objet dont une des faces est la mise en valeur de sensibilités plurielles dans une recherche philosophique. Le care y apparaît alors comme un mouvement philosophique souvent revendicatif mais toujours attentif aux critiques qui lui sont adressées, un mouvement qui entame l’illusion selon laquelle chacun d’entre nous serait une fois pour toutes et définitivement un être autonome alors que « les vies des gens sont entrelacées » (Carol Gilligan, p. 38). 

C’est ainsi la valeur de la « myriade de gestes ayant trait au soin, à la compréhension et au souci des autres » (Elsa Dorlin, p. 117) qui est relevée et développée de façon continue et qui ouvre à une nouvelle forme de responsabilité engagée.”

La lecture de ce livre permet d’éclairer un peu le care, qui est et demeurera sans doute une activité et une pensée discrète. Thierry de ROCHEGONDE

“For the last two centuries, Western philosophy has developed in the shadow of Hegel, an influence each new thinker struggles to escape. As a consequence, Hegel’s absolute idealism has become the bogeyman of philosophy, obscuring the fact that he is the defining philosopher of the historical transition to modernity, a period with which our own times share startling similarities.

Today, as global capitalism comes apart at the seams, we are entering a new period of transition. In Less Than Nothing, the product of a career-long focus on the part of its author, Slavoj Žižek argues it is imperative we not simply return to Hegel but that we repeat and exceed his triumphs, overcoming his limitations by being even more Hegelian than the master himself. Such an approach not only enables Žižek to diagnose our present condition, but also to engage in a critical dialogue with key strands of contemporary thought—Heidegger, Badiou, speculative realism, quantum physics, and cognitive sciences. Modernity will begin and end with Hegel.”

Slavoj Zizek (Author)

“L’auteure de ce petit livre annonce dès les premières lignes qu’il vise à « réarmer la critique par le féminisme ». Ainsi, l’une des principales forces de l’ouvrage tient au fait qu’il incarne un croisement assez inédit et saisissant entre plusieurs thèmes de réflexion. Professeure de philosophie morale et politique, Estelle Ferrarese est également directrice adjointe de l’Institut du Genre et liée à différentes institutions de recherche internationales [1]. Ses travaux se situent au confluent des philosophies morale et sociale, des études de genre, sur le care ou le féminisme, et de la théorie critique de l’École de Francfort. Autant dire que, si elles peuvent concerner différents acteurs et actrices, les recherches de Ferrarese requièrent quelques prérequis pour saisir tous leurs enjeux et implications, à l’instar du livre, court mais dense, dont il est ici question.”

[1] https://www.u-picardie.fr/curapp/fr/node/570.

[2] Paul-Laurent Assoun, L’École de Francfort, Paris, PUF, coll. « Que-sais-je ? » ; 1987.

[3] Jean-Marc Durand-Gasselin, L’École de Francfort, Gallimard, Tel, 2012 ; compte rendu d’Agnès Gayraud pour La Vie des Idéeshttp://www.laviedesidees.fr/Naissance-de-la-theorie-critique.html.

[4] « On ne gère pas l’autre, on l’accompagne », disent certains collectifs militants de travailleurs et travailleuses sociaux (voir par exemple le site du collectif Avenir’Educs).

[5] Voir par exemple Walter Benjamin, Paris, capitale du XIXe siècle, Éditions Allia, 2015 ; voir notre compte rendu : http://www.nonfiction.fr/article-7668-actualite_de_walter_benjamin.htm.

[6] Voir sur ce thème Jacques Ion (dir.), Le travail social en débat[s], La Découverte, coll. « Alternatives sociales », 2005 ; compte rendu de Christophe Nicoud pour Lectures : https://journals.openedition.org/lectures/189.

[7] Sur ce thème et concernant spécifiquement le travail social, voir Autès Michel, Les paradoxes du travail social, Dunod, 1999.

Estelle Ferrarese, La fragilité du souci des autres. Adorno et le care, Lyon, ENS Éditions, 2018, 149 p. Diffusée sur le site Lectures (2018) Le site de l’éditeur ENS éditions La version électronique gratuite du livre sur OpeneditionBooks​

” The Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) was developed by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal during the 1950’ps and 1960’s.  His explorations were based on the assumption that dialogue is the common, healthy dynamic between all humans, that all human beings desire and are capable of dialogue, and that when a dialogue becomes a monologue, oppression ensues. Theatre then becomes an extraordinary tool for transforming monologue into dialogue. “While some people make theatre,” says Boal, “we all are theatre.” “

 

“Many different design models have been developed, and formalizing and classifying their definitions to create a coherent and unified guide to design models will help stimulate the development of both new models and new products. Classification will also help to eliminate design models whose definitions have never been formalized and as such can be a source of confusion and misinformation. “Empathic Design” [1] and “Empathetic Design” [2] are two models in need of just such classification: their names are similar enough to confuse effortlessly. In this paper, I investigate references to the two design methods in the literature, locating a formal definition for Empathic Design in the literature and failing to locate one for Empathetic Design. In doing so, I demonstrate that one of these methods is valid while the other still needs to be formalized lest its use continue to cause confusion about its implementation.”

Peter Landwehr November 9, 2007

“AI is going to radically change society. It will do so in exciting and even life-saving ways, as we’ve seen in early projects that translate languages (in your own voice!), create assistant chat bots, make new works of art, and more accurately detect and analyze cancer

But AI will also alter society in ways that are harmful, as evidenced by experiments in predictive policing technology that reinforce bias and disproportionately affect poor communities, as well as AI’s inability to recognize different skin tones. The potential of these biases to harm vulnerable populations creates an entirely new category of human rights concerns. As legislation that attempts to curb these dangers moves forward, design will be integral in reflecting those changes. 

Indeed, there are many civil society organizations, nonprofits, think tanks, and companies that already understand AI’s effect on society, and have been working toward creating ethical standards for this burgeoning field. But for designers working with AI, we need something that goes even further than general guidelines and speaks directly to how design often impacts and perpetuates the biases in technology. 

We need a new framework for working with AI, one that goes beyond data accountability and creation. We need Human Rights Centered Design.”

Caroline Sinders Feb 21, 2020