Every year, IN Seine-Saint-Denis, the territorial brand of the Departmental Council, and the MC93 join forces to promote photographic creation through the Territoire(s) competition. The objective is to showcase a current image of the department by selecting a photographer who offers a unique perspective on this territory and aims to translate it into photography. Alexia Fiasco is the winner of this new edition, and her exhibition is presented in the Hall of the MC93 from January 13 to March 30, 2024.
"Les Dernières Fauvettes" (The Last Sparrows) is a photographic, social, and participatory project.
The Sparrows are migratory birds, and they also represent a housing project in Pierrefitte currently undergoing demolition.
This project belongs to those whose bodies are in motion. They wander through the "trash city" in search of small objects that reconcile them with their histories, seeking the last traces of vegetation that persist among the rubble, remnants of what existed long before everything collapsed.
In a second phase, the residents take turns in front of and behind the analog camera, telling their stories, (re)learning to see each other, to revalue themselves, too long made invisible, living for the most part in precariousness, shame, and oblivion.
This project began with the last children of this Pierrefitte housing project and aims to continue with the remaining residents and individuals who occupy this space. Today, these individuals are primarily migrants, victims of slumlords, dealers, mechanics who have taken over outdoor spaces to create a "wild" garage. There are also young people who still gather here even though they were relocated far away long ago, the cooks of clandestine restaurants, and especially the last wandering property owners struggling with administrative issues.
It's a whole micro-society in self-management with which I've been working daily for over a year, reminding me of the importance of the impact an environment leaves on bodies and the impact bodies leave on an environment.
Conceived as a farewell ceremony, this reparative project aims to accompany residents through the painful process of demolishing a neighborhood. It's about considering the housing project as a tree that can be cut down but whose history remains in the roots, making archives from them.
