AT HOME with Marion Parez
The story of how I met Marion is so kismet, I thought I would share it here to introduce the interview. A few months ago my partner Casey and I were in France, and he had a show in Champigny-sur-Veude - which is a very small village a few hours outside of Paris.
We arrived an hour before sunset and Casey had to do sound check, so I took myself on a walk around the neighborhood. While exploring, I noticed a really aesthetic poster for an art show happening in the village, but I read that the date of the show was for the next night and we sadly wouldn’t be in town.
I continued wandering around the quiet streets and on a particular started to hear the sounds of people talking at a gathering. As I approached this sweet small, old church - I looked inside to realize that the opening night of the art show was happening that night! Here! A woman gestured to invite me inside, and I so went in and looked at the beautiful photographs. I had no idea who the artist was, and everyone seemed to only speak French. I finally figured it out and walked up to Florent Tanet, his parter Ella, and their best friend, Marion. We started talking for awhile and I invited them to come see Casey play. We all walked over there, had dinner together and talked for hours. Marion mentioned that she just bought this beautiful old farmhouse here in town and I knew I had to photograph her there! We were able to extend our car rental and visit her and her dog Leica in the morning and it was the most wonderful experience.
Watch the short film below to see all the details (the end has a really wild, special synchronicity):
Can you tell me a little about you and your art?
I’m a fashion Photographer, working mostly in Paris where I grew-up and lived until recently.
I moved a year ago to Tours, France which is one hour by train from Paris. Tours is a smaller city that allowed me to be closer to nature and from my house I bought two years ago in the middle of the countryside.
I started photography almost 15 years ago, spending 10 years assisting worldwide photographers and now making a living from my own art for five years.
When you’re in a creative rut, how do you tap back in?
I never thought I was a creative person. I think I'm working with my instinct. But when I feel bad or useless in photography, I stop comparing my works with the others and I just try to reverse my mood. Being more positive, happy for life and people, having a good energy and when you do that everything comes along…
How long have you been living in your current home?
So I've been renting an apartment in the city of Tours for a year. Staying close to Paris for my work and always connected to the city life to enjoy what it can offer. Museums, bars & restaurants for the social part of life.
But I’m living part time in my little big house in the countryside for two years. It's an old farm, where there’s a lot of building work to do. It’s probably gonna take me a decade to reshape it, but it’s a beautiful and quiet place.
What’s your favorite part of your house?
The garden during the day, and being close to the fireplace when the night comes.
Do you like to cook? What are some of your favorite things to make?
A LOT !
We are really lucky in France to have good produce, veggies and cheese !! I’m crazy about Ottolenghi’s recipes and cook them often. One of the best meals I cooked was this Roasted sweet potato, tomato sauce and feta. It’s a kind of a Shakshouka, one of the greatest meals to cook. You can do it all year long, put any kind of veggies, cheese or whatever in, it will be always amazing !
But my favorite thing to make is bread. I would never have believed it was so easy to do and the joy you feel from such a simple thing as a piece of bread you made…
Is there a food memory from childhood that you can be transported to?
Tell me about it
My mom cooked a lot of typical french meals like beef bourguignon when we were children. I can still taste the sauce on my fingers as I dipped a piece of bread into the pan. She’s still cooking this but unfortunately I can't eat it anymore since I’m now vegetarian.
Describe your dream dinner party to me: what would be on the table and who would be sitting there?
Dream dinner: A long table in my garden, sunset, warm night, candles. All of my friends and close family enjoying my brand new finished home while drinking good wine.
As you can guess, on the table there must be bread and cheese. Also I would have cooked a large dish to share, in which everyone would come to draw.
Hopefully in a few years this dream will happen.
Take me through a typical day in your life:
When I’m working from home I'm sharing the day between things to do: update my website, accounting, call the building workers and walks with my dog, Leica.
She needs to be out a lot during the day as she is an English Setter, so we go really often into the woods to walk. I mean I’m walking, she's literally running everywhere as it was her last walk of her life
Oh yes and also I take a (much too long) break at noon to lunch and have a nap.
Something you’d like to learn:
There are so many things I would like to learn. If I have to choose I would say: something I missed learning at school, Mathematics and Science. I’m very interested in cosmology, universe etc… good transition to your next question :)
What’s your sign?
Capricorn, rising Scorpio and Moon in Cancer. Everything they said is true. No need to see a therapist to understand who you are i guess :)
Advice for living a creative life:
Hum, don’t know. Maybe just be curious about everything.
Favorite films:
Films from my childhood: Hook and Waterworld and more recently Interstellar. But there are so many more.
Favorite books
I was really into John Steinbeck (Tortilla Flat, The grapes of warps) when I was younger.
Few years ago I discovered Carlos Ruiz Zafon and read “The Shadow of the Wind” A story about a book and it’s author. A must read !!
Products you love right now:
For a few years I have been trying to pollute and consume less. With my job I pollute a lot (chemical, digital components) so I try to compensate.
So I guess I can talk about two things we have at home for a few months:
We now use a dry soap for the shower from Unbolted which is fantastic!
Texture and smell 10/10.
And also a super nice Flowerpot you can use also as a composter, so nice when you live in an apartment:
