CONSTANCE JAEGGI

The Devils

Shortly after moving to the UK, the country went into a series of strict nationwide lockdowns. As a result, I spent this time cloistered at the Devil’s Horsemen, a leading supplier of horses and stunt men and women in the film industry. For a period, new to the country and restricted in movement, I used my film cameras to get closer to the staff who were also locked down at the farm, documenting their daily routines and the essential work they were performing as they cared for the horses and continued training in anticipation of the reopening.

From very different walks of life, the people at the Devil’s Horsemen are brought together by their love for horses and their determination to make a life for themselves in which horses play a central role. Camilla Naprous, a second-generation horse master, leads the company. Far from the glamour of Hollywood, this project pulls back the curtain on a fascinating way of life – a mix between the intimacy and arduous labor where the relationship between horses and humans stands at the center.

The project is also an intimate personal diary. I used photography as a way to ground myself and find purpose and along the way it became a sort of meditative experience. The result is an inward-looking collection of work where the emotions and moods I was experiencing during this strange time are assembled and recorded.

Constance Jaeggi is a Swiss photographic artist based between London, UK and Fort Worth, TX.
Jaeggi moved to Texas from her native Switzerland in 2009 to pursue her degree from TCU and begin her competitive cutting horse-riding career. Jaeggi has studied at the New York Film Academy and most recently completed a Master of Art History and Art World Practice at Christie’s in London. 
Jaeggi’s work focuses on the relationship between horse and human, in particular women. She uses horses as a backdrop for exploring themes of intimacy and identity, connection and power dynamics.
Her recent project, The Devils was short-listed for the 2021 Critical Mass Awards and is subject of a solo exhibition at the National Cowgirl Museum in Fort Worth October 2021 – March 2022. This marks her second solo exhibition at the National Cowgirl Museum.
A book on The Devils is to be released in October 2021.

Copyright © Constance Jaeggi, all rights reserved

error: Content is protected