pascal@pfdphotographie.com

My name is Pascal Francis Durrenberger. Born in the North-East of France, I grew up in the somewhat picturesque rural Alsatian countryside. Even then, most of my genes came from the former Est Germany (Halberstadt) and from Switzerland (Basel). Revolutions, communism and Nazism are all part of my family leading to never long stays. Literally, I come from a lineage where immigration was the norm. Destined to follow a path in the car industry as an engineer in metallurgy, things started to get a bit pear-shaped. Nothing serious just your usual all around suffocating cultural rigidity which, my somewhat more spirited away approach to life, lead me in direct conflict with it. It was time to leave. A few things, a suitcase, some pocket money, a train station and Almighty question “Destination Please?”. The place, the South of France, home to La Resistance and other Misfits, I let Nice be my new pastures and the cradle of my new life. The South of France was also our yearly holiday place, so not far from a second home. Hotel business was my game which to Evian, Ouchy/Lausanne and London.

I was working in hospitality then, at Claridges Hotel till I realised I needed to do more.  Despite having adored the hospitality business, the family, it was time to move on. So a dramatic change ensued with relentless stays in Universities. I graduated, graduated and graduated again so to have on my wall, at last, a PhD award. Yes, you can call me Doc. I was mostly working in Brain Sciences at Imperial College London. Microscopy was my thing, you see and brains obviously. I was very privileged to assist the Parkinson and Multiple sclerosis brain bank. I was a brain collector for a while. Now I work at UCL in Respiratory to share and pass on my expertise. I love science. I love microscopes. I love taking pictures. But lately am not so sure that disease and death should have such a big part in my life. These elements no matter where you are or what age you are, are always around or part of you to a certain degree despite refusing to look at them face on. I am coming closer to that age where they will be probably more part of me than around me. So, for the last stretch of my life on this wonderful blue planet, I have decided to take the camera of the microscope, hang it around my neck and go out there and explore streets, parks, fields, mountains, skies, cities, countries, people, all that the world has to offer and just be LIFE.

So introducing Pascal, the Photographer/Artisan/Writer.