A SPRING AT NANETTES
> artistic residency in a housing project in the 11^th arrondissement

Selected following a request for proposals, I participated in the second edition of Contemporary Art and Social Housing, an initiative of the City Hall of the 11^th arrondissement of Paris and 5 social housing authorities.

I wanted to visually represent the simultaneity of histories one can find in a building, in particular at 15-17 Rue des Nanettes.  To understand the life of its residents, I met with them, I listened and collected the narratives of their lives, the intimate anecdotes, the neighborhood stories.  From these precious moments, I created a corpus of drawn portraits, testimonies and memories.  The residents brought their uniqueness and I incorporated the songs, poems, drawings, recipes, and collages that were brought up in the course of our conversations.  We then organized an activity with the children of the residents.  Grouped around a table, they were to draw their friend seated at their right; an exercise that encouraged them to observe their neighbor. 

My short visit at the Nanettes revealed itself to be a rich and human experience.  I had the joy of meeting exceptional people, as much in their day to day lives as in their originality, as much in their silence as in their need to communicate.

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Elogie – Siemp