hellsgate3

hellsgate3, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

hellsgate14

hellsgate14, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

hellsgate1

hellsgate1, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

hellsgate10

hellsdate10, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

hellsgate4

hellsgate4, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

hellsgate2

hellsgate2, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

hellsgate11

hellsgate11, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

dance

dance, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

indian girl

indian girl, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

indian profile

indian profile, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

veil

veil, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

sisters

sisters, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

taste of apocalypse

taste of apocalypse, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

wrecks

wrecks, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

bunker6

bunker6, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

bunker3

bunker3, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

bunker4

bunker4, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

bunker5

bunker5, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

bunker2

bunker2, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

bunker1

bunker1, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

boy and dog

boy and dog, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

on the reef

on the reef, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

wreck2

wreck2, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

back from fishing

back from fishing, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

street

village1, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

house on the beach

house on the beach, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

village2

village2, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

boat

boat, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

veena aftermath

veena aftermath, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

rooster

rooster, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

sunday morning

sunday morning, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

I spent two years in Hao, Tuamotu archipelago, from 1985 to 1987. During the atmospheric nuclear tests, it was the second base of the french army after Mururoa.
There had been up to 5000 soldiers on the base, for 500 natives. When I got there, most of the substructure had become obsolete and had been dismantled, but there was some visible remains of the bunkers and wrecks scattered all over the reef. I've heard the place has been cleaned up since. In 1983, the village had been hit by the storm Veena, and there still was some traces of the event.
I rediscovered these negatives recently, scanned them and tried to recreate the atmosphere of the place and at the same time to give an idea of my state of mind at that time.

J'ai passé deux ans à Hao, dans les îles Tuamotu, de 1985 à 1987. Hao avait été la base arrière de Mururoa à l'époque des essais nucléaires en atmosphère et avait compté jusqu'à 5000 militaires sur son sol. A l'époque où je suis arrivé, la plupart des infrastructures étaient devenues inutiles et avaient été démontées. Il ne restait de visible que les ruines des bunkers et les épaves abandonnées sur le récif aux abords du village. De plus, l'atoll avait été durement frappé par le cyclone Veena en 1983, dont on voyait encore les traces.
J'ai retrouvé ces négatifs récemment et je me suis efforcé de restituer à la fois l'atmosphère du lieu et mon état d'esprit du moment.

jeune fille au tricot, 1973

jeune fille au tricot, 1973, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

cyrille

cyrille, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

blue eyed girl

blue eyed girl, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

australian journey 2005

rodin, sydney museum

rodin, syd, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

schoolgirls, sydney

schoolgirls, syd, originally uploaded by mr philmy.

bay shuttle

bay shuttle, originally uploaded by mr philmy.