Leisure has always been a fascinating subject for photographers. This became even more true after the war when, after having contaminated all strata of society, they established themselves as an activity in their own right, just like going to work. We work hard and are pressured to “play hard.” Leisure activities should be as accessible as the workplace is – they are part of the same system. In our modern environment, leisure and work coexist comfortably, they are interdependent, even if not everyone agrees to participate.

The leisure spaces photographed in Beauvais are all to some extent spectacular; they confirm the need to feel immersed in pleasure through leisure, as opposed to the often uninteresting environments in which we are bored at work. Leisure and work seem to be opposed to each other (in society), one is the relief, the reparation of the other.

Anna Fox