2022saint-denisFloréal, Saussaie, Courtillefrance

planète courtille

A collective map of three neighborhoods, drawn by students who had recently arrived in France and by adults learning French, followed by photographs and their captions.

From December 2021 to February 2022, students from the UPE2A class at La Courtille middle school (a welcome class for young people who have just arrived in France and are learning French) and residents learning French at the Floréal neighborhood center told the story of the cité Floréal, the Saussaie and the Courtille together, three neighborhoods of Saint-Denis.

First the map: the stops of the 153 bus, the houses, the gym, the shops, the middle school, the schools, the tall and the small buildings, the swimming pool, the parks and the trees, with pictures glued on for each place. Then the walk, with disposable cameras: one camera for four, forty shots each. Portraits of one another and, for some, a black and white camera all the way to the town center, the canal and the Stade de France.

Finally, the writing: everyone chose two photos, described them and wrote why, in French and sometimes also in their own language. The exhibition went up in May 2022 on the fences of the three neighborhoods and on the walls of the neighborhood center; a website, “planète courtille,” keeps it online.

mapping

the neighborhood map

Drawn and glued by many hands, middle school students and adults together, at the neighborhood center: everyone placed their home, their bus stop, their shop, their park. It shows the three neighborhoods, and also the center of Saint-Denis: the market, the town hall, the basilica, the library, the metro.

“You can see that this city is happy.”

“There are pretty things, like the graffiti, the parks, the dogs in the street, the pigeons.”

“If we could change something, we would stop throwing trash and cigarettes on the ground. We would like there to be free shops.”

excerpts from the text written together for the exhibition

collective map: students of the UPE2A class at La Courtille middle school and residents from the Floréal neighborhood center

photography and writing

the three neighborhoods, wall by wall

Photos taken with disposable cameras, then chosen, titled and described by those who took them. Outside, large, on banners; inside, as prints. Under the pictures, their own words, as they appear on the project website.

wall 01outside · the portraits

Osama et Messias · Rayan et Adem

Marwa et Djeneba

I like the position compared to the buildings.

Adrian · Aïcha

Adrian: “I’m kicking the ball.”

wall 02outside

Cages

Statue

In the middle of the photo, you can see a very big statue. At the bottom of the statue, there are stones. At the top, I can see the sky. I like the statue.

wall 03outside

Street garage

You can see someone fixing their car right in the street. It shows everyday life in this neighborhood.

wall 04outside

Attitudes

It is a photo with a garden. There are three boys. One of the boys is me, with friends. The garden is next to the middle school. I like this photo because my friends are in it.

La Courtille

wall 05outside

Tableau · Le Park

Sandwicherie pizza tacos burger

I really like pizzas and burgers. Kids eat sandwiches and pizzas here. People who work also eat here.

wall 06outside

Chemin

Mouvements

In this photo, you can see the students of the UPE2A class on the swings. I chose this photo for its movement.

wall 07outside

La tour

L’immens’ cité

In the background, you can see the tower blocks of the Courtille estate. I like this photo because the buildings are huge compared to the boy.

wall 08inside · the prints

Action

File covid

Groupe

wall 09inside

Arbre et tour

Travaux

There is a lot of construction in the neighborhood. The works are next to the neighborhood center.

Nafiza et Mebarka

wall 10inside

Hiver

Cité Floréal

Jardin d’enfants

wall 11inside

Carrefour

La tour jaune des enfants

At the far end, I see trees and buildings. On the left, I see streetlights. In the middle, a play structure for kids.

Promenade au parc

I really like the park. Kids love to play there. In summer, when it is hot, everyone has picnics in the park.

photographs and captions: students of the UPE2A class at La Courtille middle school and residents learning French at the Floréal neighborhood center

the workshop

photographs: the mOst team

public presentation · May 2022

on the fences and on the walls

In May 2022, the banners went up on the fences, in front of La Courtille middle school and along the paths of the neighborhood, and the prints on the walls of the neighborhood center: the map, the portraits, the neighborhood as seen by those who have just arrived.