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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Say smoooooch!
Thursday 15 February @ 15:28:26 |
 by BETSY MOWRY
"All right now, Loki needs to smooch you. Push your hair back … look straight ahead … keep your face forward …" says photographer Bonnie Fournier as she calmly and self-assuredly directs a mini photo shoot of my dog, Loki, and me at her apartment. Click! Click! Click! Bonnie shoots about a dozen pictures as Loki (aided by a bit of peanut butter) "smooches" my face. I laugh and squirm during the session, which takes less than ten minutes. Fournier says it's hard to smooch or be smooched without warming up and smiling, and she's right--smooching is fun, with or without the peanut butter!
 Fournier launched The Smooch Project in 2004. It developed from a picture Fournier took at an arts event with her twin sister, Barb, when her sibling requested a photo of the both of them. Fournier held her large camera up, and just as she snapped the shutter, Barb impulsively turned her head and pecked Bonnie on the cheek. "It was such a natural and poignant gesture, my memory of that small, cherished act of affection has yet to fade," recalls Fournier. "I simply love this photo. Every time I come home and see the framed print on my wall, my heart lifts, no matter what my mood."
Fournier reasoned that if a single image could have such a positive effect on her, it surely would for others as well. She wondered what would happen if she began a collection of "smooch" shots. "Given the billions of people in the world, how many could I possibly take?" she asked herself, and began the experiment. I utilized an ample supply of long-suffering family members as my visual guinea pigs," she says. "With the help of them, and many others, The Smooch Project evolved."
Fournier's goal for The Smooch Project is to photograph 10,000 images, and she has just over 500 people right now. Smoochers can be men, women and children. Each image she takes captures two people demonstrating their affection before the camera. Fournier consciously avoids overly-amorous images, discouraging lip-on-lip contact in order to keep the project family friendly.
The photography series is posted on her website, and it's fun to peruse and imagine the relationships between her subjects. The image quality is exceptional: Each photo is shot in front of a black velour scrim for continuity, and each image is candid and beautiful in its own right. Fournier intends to exhibit the images in the future, but for now she is staging photo sessions to build the catalog.
The Smooch Project has been enjoying incredible momentum, and Fournier is continuously seeking new venues for the photo shoots. She often attends large group events with camera in hand to take advantage of the crowds and shoot as many people as possible. This spring Fournier will be at the Black Dog Cafe for the St. Paul Art Crawl, and at the Northrup King Building in Northeast Minneaoplis during Art-A-Whirl (see below for details). She is also available for special events, and requests a fee of $25 per photo session with each couple.||
To see images of The Smooch Project, visit thesmoochproject.com. You can also view Fournier's online calendar to see where she'll be working and sign up for her newsletter. Fournier can be contacted at photogirl@thesmoochproject.com or 651-225-8714. She will be at Black Dog Cafe, 308 Prince St., St. Paul, on Sat. Apr. 20 from 4–8 p.m. and Sun. Apr. 21 from 1–5 p.m. She will also be at the loading dock of the Northrup King Bldg., 1500 Jackson St. NE, Mpls., on Sat. May 19 and Sun. May 20 from 1–5 p.m.
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