Monette & Mady

Monette and Mady are identical twins. They have lived their whole life closely together and are, as they say, inseparable.

I used to see them on the streets of Paris near my house now and then but mainly on Sundays at our local fruit and vegetable market. I was instantly fascinated by their identical outfits and synchronized corporal language.
They stood out from any crowd and I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. I remember thinking that they might not be real. They were quirky and beautiful and I only ever saw them in passing. A bit like the rabbit from “Alice in Wonderland” they always seemed to be on their way somewhere. As soon as I had spotted them, they were already gone.

Years later, when I finally approached them I was not surprised to discover that they often finish each other’s sentences and that they refer to themselves as « I » instead of « we ».
Monette and Mady do not just share a close relationship as sisters, they have always lived together and they have made a profession out of their image. They act, model and dance as a couple. They are true performers and the city of Paris is their stage.

Even the most basic part of their performance; dressing identically takes quite a lot of effort. Mady and Monette spend a lot of time shopping for original, often vintage outfits and jewelery and it's not always easy finding doubles when it doesn't come from a high street store.
If they ever go out dressed in different outfits, people come up to them wondering why they are arguing, asking if they are ok. "Perhaps now it has become even more important for people to see us dressed identically than it is for us."
Neither Mady nor Monette have married or had children. They have long stopped celebrating their birthdays and they always eat the same kind of food in identical portions.
Sometimes they don't quite understand why I want to document their everyday life. Its an interesting challenge to make them understand how fascinated I am by this symbiotic existence that is so natural to them.

These are the first few pictures of an ongoing project.