The changing faces of aeroplanes

[freak 1,032]

People will often say they can see the face of a machine, whether it be in a car, a truck or in this case a plane.

Artist Manolo Chretien has spent ten-years toying with this idea, and has used his childhood memories and love of planes to capture the faces of the aircraft he photographs. As the son of the first European in Space, Chretien has a long history with aircraft, and believes his latest show's roots can be traced back to the time his father flew a helicopter outside his bedroom window.

Speaking about his show, titled Nouveaux-Nez, Chretien said, "It's been in my head for years, since my father woke me up one Wednesday facing me in the air at the window of my bedroom (at the second floor of our house in the south of France) in a helicopter he was testing. I remember it as if it was yesterday; the animal cockpit of the 'Alouette', my father with his Raybans smiling inside it, making signs of 'time to get out of bed kids!'"

Many of the planes photographed are several decades old, out of service and confined to runways or hangars in distant parts of the world. But whether you see the faces of the planes or not, Chretien certainly believes his mechanical subjects can take on human characteristics.

"Each plane has its own specific mood; one is smiling, one is surprised, one looks stupid, one is ugly, one is fat… I try to show the humorous side of the planes" he said.