Apparitions

The first encounter between Le Havre and Stephan Balkenhol occurred during the 2019 edition of Un Été Au Havre. As he discovered the architecture of the city reconstructed by Auguste Perret, the artist had fun « housing » new inhabitants on the facades of several buildings.

By doing this, he reveals a specific feature of these buildings, and highlights a then innovative construction process : the use of prefabricated elements. Some of the prefabricated facades included window frames set at regular intervals. Depending on the interior layout of each apartment, some of these frames remained sealed. These unoccupied spaces inspired Stephan Balkenhol to imagine characters who could stand among the actual inhabitants of the buildings, when showing up through their windows.

The glances, various postures, and colourful outfits of these larger-than-life men and women, make up for an interesting gallery of quiet, enigmatic, and emerging characters.