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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Personal Photobook Photo Book Dimensions Dimensions of object in cm 17x23x3 Number of Pages Number of Pages 120 Number of images Number of images 42 Edition Size Edition Size 130 Place of Publication Place of Publication France Designer Designer Gilles Mercier - editorial review Elie Monferier and Jean Michel André Editor Editor Gilles Mercier Printer Printer Arfeb ISBN ISBN None Website Website www.gillesmercier.fr URL Link to project URL Link to project https://www.gillesmercier.fr/l-elégance-de-vos-absences-vol-1/ Where to buy Where to buy - Sold out at: BAL Books, La Hune, La Nouvelle Chambre Claire, Tipi Bookshop, Yvon Lambert Bookshop, Librairie Sans Titre - Restock 10/2026: A restock of 30 copies will be available at BAL Books, La Hune, and Librairie Sans Titre (online) in October 2026. - Or Contact the author Links to reviews Links to reviews https://yogurtmagazine.com/the-elegance-of-your-absences-by-gilles-mercier-talk/ https://www.5ruedu.fr/2025/11/04/lelegance-de-vos-absences-gilles-mercier/ https://lintervalle.blog/2025/09/16/resister-ensemble-par-gilles-mercier-photographe/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource L'Elégance de vos absences / Vol . 1 Comme un vivant porte-bonheur Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilles Mercier Description An account of the resource A poetic and literary artist’s book exploring absence, memory, intimacy, and traces of the other through text and image. Artist’s Book Trilogy (ongoing project) L’Élégance de vos absences is an ongoing artist’s book trilogy exploring memory, absence and transmission through photography, writing, family archives and sound. Conceived from the outset as an artist’s book rather than a photographic publication, the project brings together photographs, autobiographical texts, archival materials, graphic design, handcrafted elements and original music within a single immersive work. Each medium contributes to the narrative, inviting the reader to move between image, text, touch and listening. Rooted in a family history marked by deportation, exile, silence and fragmented memories, the trilogy transforms intimate traces into reflections on what remains after loss and how personal histories resonate with collective experiences. Across three autonomous volumes, L’Élégance de vos absences explores the dialogue between individual remembrance and universal questions of inheritance, resilience and transmission. Volume I – Comme un vivant porte-bonheur (2025) The first volume inaugurates this long-term artistic research by exploring the fragile relationship between presence and absence, between what is inherited and what remains unspoken. Emerging from the artist’s family history — marked by the deportation of his grandfather during the Second World War and by the silences that followed — the book does not seek to reconstruct the past. Instead, it examines how memory continues to inhabit the present through fragments, gestures and invisible inheritances. Photography is interwoven with autobiographical writing, family archives, handwritten documents and handcrafted facsimiles, creating a narrative where each element resonates with the others. The sequencing of images and the material qualities of the book invite a slow reading experience, allowing memory to unfold gradually. An original musical composition by Thibaut Torzuoli, accessible through an integrated QR code, extends the work beyond the printed page. Sound becomes another dimension of the narrative, where silence, listening and emotion participate in the reader’s experience. Published in a limited edition of 130 signed copies, Comme un vivant porte-bonheur establishes the artistic and material foundations of the trilogy, affirming the artist’s book as a complete medium where photography, writing, archives, design and sound converge. Subject The topic of the resource 120 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Artist’s book Swiss binding Handcrafted facsimiles mounted within the book or presented in crystal paper envelopes Original musical composition by Thibaut Torzuoli, accessible through an integrated QR code Printed on 100% recycled Nautilus paper, 135 gsm Graphic design and cover design by Gilles Mercier Limited edition of 130 signed copies: 100 numbered and signed copies produced in 2025 30 additional signed copies produced in 2026 to accompany the release of Volume II / + a small booklet containing translations of the texts and captions. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Self Published