Banality (French: Banalité), published in 1930, is a collaborative work by poet Léon-Paul Fargue, photographer Roger Parry, and artist Fabien Loris that merges poetic narratives with avant-garde photographic techniques. Fargue contributed the poetic texts that accompany the book’s 16 photographs. Roger Parry provided direct shots and darkroom manipulations using techniques such as multiple exposure, photomontage, solarization, and negative prints. Fabien Loris, later known as an actor, created photograms through a collaborative process with Parry. Together, they transformed everyday objects into profound artistic expressions, fully embodying the titular "banality."
The artistic vision of Banality merges the Surrealist ethos with the innovative principles of New Vision photography, highlighting Roger Parry's talent for transforming ordinary subjects into poetic expressions. Léon-Paul Fargue’s text, consisting of poems, prose pieces, and letters, delves into themes of memory and dreams, imbuing the work with a melancholic atmosphere that complements the visual artistry.
Parry and Loris collaborated closely, fully immersing themselves in the process of discovering effects, refining techniques, and beginning anew. Their sessions were characterized by a willingness to embrace chance, where unexpected outcomes often sparked fresh innovation. Through their manipulation of light, shadow, and form, they created a dreamlike quality that draws viewers into a rich and surreal visual narrative.
Published in 1930 by Nouvelle Revue Française in a limited run, Banality was welcomed in avant‑garde and literary circles for its text‑image integration and inventive use of photomontage, solarization, and photograms. Its profile has been reinforced by later scholarship and exhibitions—most notably the Jeu de Paume/Gallimard project Roger Parry: photographs, drawings, page designs (2007)—and by its recurring citation in photobook histories as an early model of collaborative, experimental bookmaking.
