Infatuation by Louise Levergneux

This emotional illusion began in 1968, with quiet and gentle innocence. A teenage crush caused a heart to beat a little faster while being struck by the winds of love. Infatuation considers the nature of « coming-of-age » through a recurring dream based on a cherished encounter of this « amour fou » and allows the dreamer to participate in an unattainable world.

In a state between wakefulness and sleep, I found myself reflecting on the past. I delved into memories, as more events and souvenirs of innocent times permeated my dreams and my being. In this dreamland I reconnected with how lovely it was to be fourteen and discovering the other sex.

In the fog of desire, my infatuation manifested itself through — the allure of one’s movement, the strut, the look, the tenderness, the twinkle of the eye, the infectious smile… All the while, the tingling phenomenon of « puppy love/celebrity crush » in my elusive dream came to life.

To interpret this cognitive experience, I drew upon family photos representing youth and innocence. Television shows of the late 1960s portraying this « amour fou » as poetry set in motion, breathtakingly beautiful and charismatic transported me back to my youthful freedom as experienced in my idealized romantic Shangri-la.

The narrative is written with ballads of popular love songs of the era, explored while contemplating the incredible unexpected fantasy of a teenager.

The accordion fold, the drum leaf binding, and a photomontage helped to imitate an young girl’s journal. These elements became the logical framework for Infatuation as I remembered my own journal and the teen magazine cut-outs pasted next to love notes. A hole cut in the main pages of the drum leaf exposes a small accordion which represents the teenager musing exclusively of « him ». Photoshop composites allowed me to produce impossible scenes — the utopia intrinsic of a memorable teenager’s paradise, playing a direct role in a 1960s western TV show.

This wishful thinking came after craving personal contact with friends and family as life continued in the radically altered world of 2021. I wanted to feel the normality, the joy, the freedom of my daily life again. What a more pleasing way to alter one’s reality then to jump into the land of enchantment of youth and innocence!