While November 13th will forever remain a painful memory, there is one event whose significance may have escaped some people. On this grim anniversary, the decision taken by the president of Life for Paris, an association created ten years ago by and for the victims of the attacks, to dissolve his association, represents a founding act. Beyond the desire to escape victimhood and move forward, this questioning of habits that legitimacy could reinforce helps to reaffirm the universal significance of a collective identity. Namely, the identity of all those who share the values of humanism, the fight against extremism of all kinds, and who do not hesitate to question themselves when necessary. In addition to the values of individual resilience, this awareness transcends each of us, binding us together. In doing so, it reinforces the sociocultural dimension of urban resilience, without which this concept would be nothing more than an empty word.
In the following series of photographs, silhouettes in the November 13th Memorial Garden (*) fade away without disappearing completely, and life takes over again. For the first time since starting picturing urban resilience, I did not include darkening silver paper as a metaphor for adaptation to an uncertain world. The dissolution of Life for Paris is a powerful example of “bouncing forward” and leaves no room for questions.
A series of 6 polyptychs of 4 photographs each, square format, independently framed. Preferred printing size: min 40 – max 60 cm each side (min 16- max 24 in). Shooting places: November 13th Memorial Garden, Palais de Tokyo esplanade, Paris
