Tuk Time is that kind of slow pace of living, imposed by a certain unemployment rate and a lack of activities – in the winter, there is not much to do in the Arctic tundra – that keeps you in bed until noon.
Tuktoyaktuk is a tiny village on the shore of the Beaufort Sea, in the Canadian Northwest territories. It counts four different churches – rarely open – and no pubs, libraries or cultural centre. Therefore, Tuk Time has conquered its people over time and gave a ghostly look to the hamlet.
In the background, one can read the portrait of a lost village with an uncertain future. Between old and new generations, a duel is at stake. Traditional practices against an unleashed western pop culture, celebrating fleeting music stars and junk food. On a more global view, the Northwest passage, now open all year round, offers massive economic opportunities but also serious ecological threats as Tuktoyaktuk is the only possible deep water harbour in the area and would become an important hub to supply the passing cargos.
Tuk Time is a collective project composed in two parts by a graphic designer, Roxane Gabet, and a photographer, Teo Becher. In 2015, they went in the Canadian Great North with light as a guideline, which also defined their documentary approach. On one side, light is overwhelming, everything is white. The images tell a story, in a contemplative and descriptive way. On the other side, light becomes rarer, it tries to find a way through the camera. Everything is darker and the images are more of a personal experience, trivial but vivid.
Roxane and Teo met the people, shared their everyday life and immersed themselves in the poetry of the land. They came back with images, ideas and feelings, mixed between Roxane’s texts and drawings and Teo’s photographs.
About the author:
Teo Becher was born in 1991. He lives and works in Brussels, Belgium. He graduated in photography from “Le 75“ in Brussels in 2014 and since has been exploring documentary photography. Teo founds a deep interest in the image itself and how it is interpretated, especially through landscape photography.
He mostly uses a large format camera as well as a medium format. His work has been showcased in Brussels in 2013, 2014 & 2015 in collective shows. Since October 2016, Téo is a member of the Studio Hans Lucas.
