Seven young photographers who met as classmates at EFET Photography school in Paris have formed System D, a creative collective aimed at preserving their artistic bonds and maintaining a collaborative space for creativity. This summer, the group presented their latest project "Tomorrow I Will Be Many" at the Festival OFF in Arles, France, featuring both an exhibition and an innovative editorial book created through collective experimentation.
The collective emerged from friendships forged in the classroom, with an initial core group later joined by Alice Calliopée and Pauline from another class. "We were classmates at EFET Photography school in Paris. There was already a strong dynamic among friends," explained Ginevra Carrozzo, one of the founding members. The transition from individual students to a formal collective happened organically when the group realized they had something special worth preserving.
"You already had a project underway: Empreintes de l'oubli. When we joined, we asked ourselves: what do we do with everything we've started?" recalled Alice Calliopée. The group's teachers, including some from the famous photography collective Le Bar Floréal, encouraged them to pursue collaborative work. "Everyone kept telling us, 'You really have to hold onto this because in the professional world, it's rare,'" Calliopée noted, emphasizing how easy it becomes to lose time for personal artistic work once immersed in professional photography careers.
The collective's latest project marked a significant evolution from their previous work. While their earlier project "Empreintes de l'oubli" focused on memory, dreams, and remembrance with each photographer working in their individual aesthetic, "Tomorrow I Will Be Many" was conceived and created entirely through collective processes. "This year, the creation was conceived and written collectively. It was a completely different process, both in terms of execution and in the editorial object," Carrozzo explained.
To achieve true collective creation, the group established a unique experimental framework during a three-day residency in Vaux-sur-Seine. They developed specific protocols and exercises, including working with flash photography, exploring presence, distorting objects, and what they called "poetic, offbeat things" like photographing the wind and deliberately putting themselves off-balance. "We wanted to shift our usual gaze," said Calliopée. The group also selected texts to feed their thinking and provide paths for introspection.
Perhaps the most radical aspect of their collaborative process involved surrendering individual control over their images. "Everyone started shooting. And at the end, we all put our SD cards on the table and handed the editing to another member of the group," Carrozzo revealed. This approach created what she described as "a real sense of letting go of our own images" and opened doors to fresh perspectives they hadn't necessarily seen in their own photographs.
The experience proved both revelatory and challenging for all participants. "It was shocking for all of us! To see one's images passed through so many hands," Calliopée admitted. "It's beautiful, but handing over your photos without pre-selecting them makes you feel vulnerable, it also exposes your failures." Oscar Berling-Pesant, another collective member, added with humor, "And sometimes, others choose your failures!" However, this vulnerability ultimately enriched their work, creating what Berling-Pesant described as "a real mix of viewpoints."
The project evolved into what the group terms an "editorial object" – a sophisticated photobook that goes beyond traditional photography publications. "All seven of us have a strong attraction to books, the way you take hold of them," explained Calliopée. The group experimented extensively with materiality, formats, stitching, tracing paper, transparencies, and cyanotype processes to create their unique publication.
The resulting book has a distinctive sketchbook-like quality, incorporating collage, writing, playfulness, research, and storytelling elements. "It's like a mental walk, impressions, nightmares," Calliopée described. Many images were created at night using flash photography, lending the work what she characterized as "a certain underlying heaviness." The book is designed to be read in two layers: first through its material and aesthetic qualities, then through the accompanying writing.
Translating their editorial object into an exhibition format for the Festival OFF Arles proved relatively straightforward for the experienced group. "We are starting to be good at exhibition scenography," noted Berling-Pesant with characteristic humor. "Honestly, picking the color of the bookbinding thread was more complicated than designing the whole exhibit!"
Looking ahead, the collective faces the challenge of balancing group work with individual artistic development. "After this project, we do need a little break," acknowledged Carrozzo. "Naturally, working as a collective meant putting aside our individual practices for a bit. We each need to return to our own voices before coming back strongly for a new group project." Berling-Pesant added pragmatically, "Seven personalities – it's a lot. We'll probably do more collective projects, but in smaller groups."
Despite the challenges, all members remain committed to the collective's future. "We're all pretty aligned long-term: making projects as a group of seven, but also as duos or trios, showcasing other photographers, offering workshops," explained Calliopée. "It's not fixed. A collective is a huge space for freedom that everyone can shape in their own way." She emphasized that the heart of their collective commitment centers on "freedom, sharing, transmission, and play. Going back to the artistic roots."
The System D Collective's photobook "Tomorrow I Will Be Many" is currently available for pre-order until August 31, offering photography enthusiasts a chance to experience their innovative collaborative approach firsthand.
