Creation while artist-in-residence commissioned by the “Office Public HLM” and the city of Villeurbanne (France) / 1993
Mois de la photo in Paris / 1994

* this title has a double meaning in French : “model-apartments” and a personal account of these apartments

In 1993, I worked in Villeurbanne (suburbs of Lyon), photographing the interiors of a block of low-income flats before and during renovation carried out by the local authority. The occupants were closely involved throughout the project, which ended with an in-situ exhibition. This work was presented in a redesigned exhibition space in 1994 as one of the “Mois de la Photo” events in Paris.

This photographic project takes an intimate look at the interiors of apartments built in 1930 for low-income families before and during their remodeling. My aim was to create a record of the past of these apartments, reflecting my personal regard, and to relate the changes experienced by the occupants during the renovation work.
The occupants were involved in the project by collecting old family photographs and recording personal life histories
From an artistic point of view, the creation of “in-situ” exhibits in two apartments provided additional content and, from a social point of view, the occupants were given the possibility to view and relate to my work.
My work was chosen to be part of the “Mois de la Photo 1994” in Paris. I exhibited it in the “Maison de l’Architecture” in an adapted form to take into account the new context.
The characteristics of one place at one moment of its history turned out to be a depository for our collective memory, which far exceeded the initial context. I tried to question our own intimacy, the mental image of our territories, the signs of our belonging, the fleeting traces of our passage.

EXHIBITIONS

Villeurbanne – installation in two low-inome housing apartments / 1993
Mois de la photo in Paris / 1994
Maison de la culture of Grenoble / 1995
Conservatory of ethnology of Haute Provence : “1st Biennial Conference on Photography and Ethnology” / 1997

PUBLICATIONS

“Appartement(s)… témoin(s)” – City of Villeurbanne / 1993
“Mois de la photo in Paris 1994” – Paris audiovisuel
ISBN 2 904 732 66-7

COLLECTIONS

City of Villeurbanne

LECTURES

Le Magasin – CNAC (Grenoble) / 1995
Conservatory of ethnology of Haute Provence (Mane, France) / 1997
Photo 98 festival in York (Great Britain) / 1998
Institute de Arte de Belèm (Brazil) / 2000