When I first stumbled upon Marie Clerel’s website, I felt transported to a place both familiar and unknown. Her work has a way of accessing memory and mystery, touching upon a collective understanding of fleeting moments of impermanence. This feeling is echoed again and again through the moments and memorabilia she captures and presents for investigation. Marie currently lives in Paris and works in a variety of mediums. Here she is talking to us about the things she loves, the artists she admires, and her inspirations.

Hi Marie! Describe for us the room you are in right now. I’m at my desk and as I live in a studio, there’s only one room, so let’s describe my desk which I consider as a room by itself… I have a poster of the ocean on my wall, then postcards, pictures and one sheet of paper on which I’ve written distances of place I’ve been to from my apartment. A pile of notebooks on a shelf in front of me and a lot of things like an origami set, stamps, books waiting to be folded or empty and full envelopes. On my left there is a roll I still haven’t scanned and three boxes full of images and documents I’ve collected from different places and events. On my right there is a big pile of books I’ve read or decided to read then forgot to and another pile of notebooks.

Who are some of your favorite artists? I think I wouldn’t be the same without John Baldessari and Christian Boltanski, I wouldn’t be more and more interested by the process without Yuki Onodera or Francis Alÿs. I wouldn’t dare some projects without the work of David Horvitz, Jiri Kovanda or Gerlach En Koop.

Do you find yourself turning to a specific medium for inspiration? I’m not into a specific medium, I take a lot of photographs but I don’t consider myself as a photographer, I love to work with the book and the archive as a medium, any kind of archive (photo, film, formal documents, maps etc…), I work a lot on how the time can change things, how chance can make something happen, I’ve lately worked on a project in which I’m completely detached from the process of creation, I’ve let the others do the piece. I’m just trying to experiment as much as possible, I don’t want to focus on a specific medium.

What are some of your favorite things? I love to dance even though I dance like an hyperactive child, I love postcards, notebooks, identity pictures, found objects in the street, found pictures, tickets and notes, I love surprises, trains and boats, to send useless letters, write personal messages in the street, I love the seconds just before I fall asleep, Google street view and breakfasts. I also love the experience of déjà-vu and kiwi seeds trapped between my teeth.

Thank you, Marie!

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