The BarrObjectif festival is currently displaying sixteen portraits of women from Ruffec and Barro throughout the streets of Barro as part of its week-long photography exhibition. This unique project combines literature and visual arts, featuring local women engaged in reading, creating a compelling intersection between books and photography.
The innovative project originated in 2021 when Flammarion publishing house contacted Pauline Fouillet, a bookseller at "Livres et vous" bookstore in Ruffec, with an unusual request. The publisher wanted to redesign the cover of Laure Adler's book "Les femmes qui lisent sont dangereuses" (Women Who Read Are Dangerous) to create a localized version titled "Les Ruffécoises qui lisent sont dangereuses" (Women from Ruffec Who Read Are Dangerous). Fouillet immediately embraced the idea without hesitation.
However, the enterprising bookseller decided to take the concept much further than originally planned. Adler's book features paintings depicting women reading, which sparked Fouillet's imagination and creativity. She explained her inspiration, saying, "It made me laugh to have a book with that title. But most importantly, there was one artwork in the book that I had fallen in love with at first sight. And I started imagining the customers of the bookstore and women I knew for each painting."
This creative vision led to collaboration with photographer Silvana Delaunay to create the portrait series now on display during the festival. The project transforms the abstract concept of "dangerous women readers" into a tangible celebration of local women and their relationship with literature, making the streets of Barro an open-air gallery that honors both reading culture and photographic artistry.
