Greta Torossian

 

gretator@dm.net.lb

Born in Beirut in 1969, Greta Torossian has a degree in photography from the Université Saint-Esprit (Kaslik, Lebanon).

In 1996, she won the annual university competition sponsored by Kodak-Lebanon. Her interest in duality was already evident as she transformed ordinary furniture into human form. Her black and white photos have a clean, pure style.

In 1998, Greta was chosen to participate in Lebanon's first Mois de la Photographie, sponsored by the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. She expressed a new duality with fragmented nudes, still in black and white.

In 1999, with "Real Visions", Torossian shifted to color to provide a realistic depiction of the duality between destruction and reconstruction in the central Beirut landscape.

In May 2000, the "Real Visions" series was exhibited at Saint Etienne's annual international festival, "Art dans la Ville."
Greta Torossian works as a freelance documentary and commercial photographer.

 

INTERVIEW WITH GRETA TOROSSIAN

RUAVISTA: How does the street inspire your work?

Greta Torossian: I have always been interested in the urban landscape, particularly its architectural and graphic features (signs, street numbers and colors). When I am in a city, I wonder what's changed over time and what the city looked like 10, 20 or 30 years ago. I enjoy discovering signs of the past.
For me, the urban landscape has its own life, almost like human beings do … The subject of "Real Visions" is the city the extreme manipulations on it. I'm still inspired by the urban landscape and architecture in my work.

R. What do you look for when you walk in the street?

G. T. When I travel, I love to walk the streets and discover new neighborhoods and details. For me, streets are as interesting as traditional tourist sites. I especially look at architecture, how buildings are arranged, how small spaces fit into large ones, colors, signs - down to the smallest, seemingly insignificant detail! For me, it's a great way to get a feel for people.


R. Why do you love your city, Beirut?

G. T. All I've ever known of central Beirut district is the ruins, and later reconstruction. Now I love the old yellow stone buildings so beautifully renovated, a mix of French and Ottoman styles.
They are in a much different ambiance today: cafes, restaurants and luxury boutiques. A city's spirit cannot revive in the same way. In the rest of Beirut, other than the old houses called "palaces", the most interesting thing for me is the different style and atmosphere of almost each neighborhood.


R. Which photographs of cities and streets appeal to you?

G. T. I really like Brassaï's photos of Paris at night, with his eerie vision of reality, and Bill Brandt's equally subjective photos of the urban landscape. Like many others from that period, both of them were very close to the surrealists.

R. What do you think of digital photography and the Internet? How will these new technologies change photography?

G. T. It's true that digital photography has brought about a revolution, especially in news photos that are sent over the Internet. But I'm not a great supporter of transforming reality through digital editing. For me, photography's only raison d'être is its authenticity!