Stéphan Crasneanscki
What We Leave Behind

From Jean-Luc Godard’s Archive

Stéphan Crasneanscki What We Leave Behind

Libraryman, 2021

Texts by Patti Smith, Abel Ferrara, Antoine de Baecque

20 x 26 cm (approx. 7.8″ x 10.2″) | 216 pages | 177 photographs

Linen thread bound, softcover |English

Subsequent to a commissioned sound composition for Deutschlandradio, multidisciplinary artist Stéphan Crasneanscki (b. 1969, French) further examines his significant opus What We Leave Behind, on French film director Jean-Luc Godard’s archive, into book form. The book is divided into four comprehensive sections: boxes, collages, still lifes and notes.

When invited to explore the archive of the seminal film director, Crasneanscki photographed Godard’s personal collection of short film, reel-to-reels and historical ephemera. The notes and references in the book attest to the passing of time, yet being saved from oblivion; as a fragmented creative map of a master film director’s artistic thought process. In addition to working with someone’s personal belongings and cultural heritage, Crasneanscki also adds his own interpretation and admiration to the material’s constellation of ideas of identity, traceability, temporality, space, memory, existence, materiality and historicity.

The book contains a foreword by musician, author and poet Patti Smith (b. 1946, American), a conversation with filmmaker Abel Ferrara (b. 1951, American) and an essay written by film critic, historian and editor Antoine de Baecque (b. 1962, French).