Photographs and text: Anette Hermann.
Je suis une clé.
Une clé française.
Ma vie est solitaire.
Je n’ai pas d’amis.
Je suis seule.
Tous les jours.
Toute la journée.
Je regarde la fissure dans le tapis.
J’ai fait une passe à la lampe, mais il fait froid à l’intérieur.
Il fait froid dans son cul!
Ma sombre vie.
Tout est noir.
Et les lunettes de soleil …
Je les déteste!
Bandes, comme des barreaux de prison.
Couvre-lit, bleu comme la mer…
Où est le bateau qui me voile loin d’ici?
La vie comme clé c’est de la merde.
Le contenu d’une poubelle!
Mais c’est ma vie.
This piece was written in Danish and translated into French by Google Translate. Approach with caution. I chose to publish in French, because neither Danish nor English seemed appropriate.
This is my contribution to this weeks photo challenge theme inside. You can check out my other photo challenge entries here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions on how to improve my French, please leave me a note. Thanks for visiting Ink.
[edit: Thanks Le Clown for straighten out the details.]
Words and photography © Anette Hermann.
Tells a story. Mysterious.
I hope so, the images at least, not sure about the words. Do you read French Sandee?
Unfortunately I don’t Anette.
I’ll have to translate.
This is a translation Sandee:
I am a key.
A French key.
My life is lonely.
I have no friends.
I am alone.
Every day.
All day long.
I look at the crack in the carpet.
I made a pass at the lamp, but it’s cold inside.
It’s ass is cold!
My dark life.
Everything is black.
And the sunglasses…
I hate them!
Bands, like prison bars.
Bedspread, blue like the sea …
Where is the boat that will sail me away from here?
Life as a key is crap.
The contents of a trash can!
But it’s my life.
I like this. I read enough French to know what this is about. Sad. Lonely. Alone I like this a lot.
Glad you like it paralaxvu. I hope it also comes through, that this key is really negative and has a sore butt :)
you should do these as desktop backgrounds, they are awesome
Thanks a bunch Kyle. The images or the terrible French?
I mean as desktop backgrounds?
Anette,
The French is actually impressive.
Le Clown
Good news for Google Translate!
well both, duh
For the pictures, it’s not gonna happen. The image quality is so poor. Old .jpg files that has deteriorated over the years. I think you’d be the only person wanting French words as a wallpaper Kyle ;)
haha prpbably
Anette,
This is quite awesome. There are a few typos. Would you like me to correct them? I rarely have the opportunity to actually be le francophone que je suis on the blogosphere. Let me know.
Le Clown
That would be so totally awesome Eric. Would be cool if it was like real French. Just don’t take out the dirty language right :)
Anette,
There’s not a great deal to correct:
Je suis une clé.
Une clé français”e”.
Ma vie est solitaire.
Je n’ai pas d’amis.
Je suis seul”e”.
Also, “Il fait froid dans le cul”… Are you going for: It’s cold in my ass?
Ma vie sombre… It means: My life is falling. Are you going for: My life is dark, which would be “Ma vie “est” sombre”.
Bandes comme des barreaux de prison… Are you using “bande” as “getting a hard on” or “bande” as a stripe? The way it is used is in its latter form.
That’s it!
Le Clown
Also, “Il fait froid dans le cul”… Are you going for: It’s cold in my ass?
No it’s the lamp, the lamp has a cold ass.
Ma vie sombre… It means: My life is falling. Are you going for: My life is dark, which would be “Ma vie “est” sombre”. How about “My dark life”?
Bandes comme des barreaux de prison… Are you using “bande” as “getting a hard on” or “bande” as a stripe? The way it is used is in its latter form.
Key is referring to the stripes in the wallpaper…. had no idea that was dirty.
Anette,
Ok. So how about something more like: “Il fait froid dans son cul” (it’s cold in its [the lamp's] ass).
How about “My dark life”? – > Ma sombre vie.
Key is referring to the stripes in the wallpaper…. had no idea that was dirty. -> You are then using it properly. If anything, I would add a comma: Bandes, …
Le Clown
Ok. So how about something more like: “Il fait froid dans son cul” (it’s cold in its [the lamp's] ass). YES!
How about “My dark life”? – > Ma sombre vie. YES!
Key is referring to the stripes in the wallpaper…. had no idea that was dirty. -> You are then using it properly. If anything, I would add a comma: Bandes, … YES!
Merci my friend. If you ever need ANYTHING translated into Danish, just let me know.
Anette,
Ça m’a fait plaisir. You are so creative and talented.
Le Clown
That is such kind words. Thank you so much.
Great post Anette. I also read just enough French to be able to understand this. How awesome to have an editor at the ready for you!
Thank you Angeline. Indeed I feel fortunate to know Le Clown :) Now the the piece is juuust right!
Merci, Anette!! J’aime bien ta poème, mais elle est si triste! :(
Yes it is, but not only sad. I find it tragicomédie too.
These photos are pretty awesome, amazing Anette! :-)
Thank you Moth, I’m really happy you like them. Do you read French?
not a damn word!
but I really like the photos and you are absolutely right: the only language matching their atmosphere would be French (whatever it says)!
A translation for you Moth:
I am a key.
A French key.
My life is lonely.
I have no friends.
I am alone.
Every day.
All day long.
I look at the crack in the carpet.
I made a pass at the lamp, but it’s cold inside.
It’s ass is cold!
My dark life.
Everything is black.
And the sunglasses…
I hate them!
Bands, like prison bars.
Bedspread, blue like the sea …
Where is the boat that will sail me away from here?
Life as a key is crap.
The contents of a trash can!
But it’s my life.
“Life as a key is crap.
The contents of a trash can!”
I love it!!!! and when I grow up, please don’t let me to become a key ;-)
p.s. thank you so much for the translation! It is truly an awesome post!
:) you’re welcome my friend ♥
Translation is tricky business! Sometimes I think (thought) that was what I wanted to do, (literary translation) but like moron, I studied French which is my second language when you actually need to study your own langue natale. Go figure! Cool poem!
Bisous,
Dawn
Indeed it is! Some sayings and idioms are almost impossible to translate. What do you speak the most, French or English? I’m happy you like it Dawn :)
Here I mostly speak French but I do have some friends who speak English too. :)
Oh, really beautiful! I would kill for that wallpaper!
That wallpaper was really hard to avoid in the 80′s. I had something similar in my room… looked awesome with my Jackson 5 posters pinned all over it. I’m happy you like it. Thanks Sophy :)
Annette. This is great stuff. ;-)
Thank you eof737 :)
Romantic images and noems…that too in French!! Awesome or what!
“Noir” just has to be French. I’m happy you enjoyed my lonely French key :)
A compelling story – very engaging, almost a mystery, a thriller, or a ‘psychological’ film from Europe.
I am wondering – were you in a hotel and got the idea of making a series of shots with this idea in mind?
Perhaps you walked into a hotel and asked to see a room – and then shot these and came back down and said that the room wasn’t suitable, and left.
Or perhaps this is not a hotel and you got the idea when you found an old hotel room key in your weekend bag – but then I don’t think this is you home, your taste – and you are not going to speak ill of a friend’s room.
So I go back to the idea that it is a hotel room. It has to be northern Europe – maybe a Mercure hotel in Paris.
Thanks for the guessing David. It’s quite inspiring… I particularly like the idea of checking a room and decide it’s not suitable. Let me solve the mystery:
These photos were taken in a hotel room in Paris, can’t remember the name, but it was back in the early 2000. Back then, I had a tendency of documenting rooms I happened to be in, with a camera. I have a bunch of similar room-documentations laying around, from a great variety of rooms. Thousands of images.
Unfortunately, the image files are in a terrible state, one reason being jpg-deterioration, another one being the camera I used at the time. I’d bought a JVC digital video camera with a still image function, because my passion was shooting film. The camera was extremely expensive and the still image quality was 1024×768 px (this is long before megapixels were born), less impressive. I didn’t care much, since the still images only acted as supporting material for the movies.
The idea for this noir style story about a French key, sulking over his miserable life, came to me when I found the photo series on my harddrive last week. Looking through the some 20 images, it occurred to me, that they were the perfect ingredients for at story about life. The key is humanized by pretending to have human feeling, which is of course absurd and somewhat comical.
I actually quite like the interior of the room. The key on the other side, doesn’t have much positive to say about the room or anything else. He hates his surroundings, as much as he hates himself. He finds everything depressing, pointless and ugly. Because that’s what his eyes and mind is open for.
I hope this answers your questions.
Beautiful lighting an mood in these shots. The first one really arrests my attention, especially. There is a most uncommon mix of mysteriousness and sensuality with these images. Beautiful.
Thank you so much mofman ♥ Your critique means a lot to me. I’m very happy you like the post :)
Great post! The photos are terrific and I love the poem! And you are right…it is better in French than English.