This intervention in Place Charles de Monselet, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, is part of the Bien-Venue artistic residency program, carried out by the Le CentQuatre cultural center.

The aim is to develop public and participatory artistic and cultural programmes in the 19th arrondissement, one of the most decentralised and lowest municipal priority districts in Paris.

We start from the word “rencontre” (meeting), not only because it is the essence of squares as an element of social cohesion, but as a reflection of a neighborhood whose main characteristic is sociocultural diversity.

Furthermore, the very particular temporal context in which the work is carried out further reinforces the chosen word. We travelled to Paris in the middle of a pandemic, with strict health controls and without being allowed to make the mural in a participatory way. Only a few neighbours and students were able to collaborate, further emphasising the need for social relations and unity that we need to get ahead in situations like this.

CONTEXT

The 19th arrondissement of Paris, located in the far northeast of the city, is a quiet, mainly residential area. It is characterized by its multiculturalism, with residents mainly of French, Portuguese and North African origin.

The Charles de Monselet square is located at the meeting point of the Boulevard D'Algerie and the Boulevard Sérurier. The selected wall corresponds to the eastern façade of the square, and has ample visibility from both the Avenue de la Porte du Pré Saint-Gervais and the Robert-Debré Children's Hospital.

This small square is an important transit point for local residents heading to the tram stop next to the square. It represents a meeting point for different generations. On the one hand, children make use of the playground. On the other hand, young people spend the afternoons socialising and older people play pétanque.

Wall selected before intervention

Wall selected before intervention

DESIGN AND PARTICIPATION

The design process is carried out by holding dynamics with different groups in the neighbourhood. At Romainville and Eugénie Cotton schools, where drawing activities and surveys are carried out. And at L'Accorderie, the neighbourhood's community centre, where we propose a debate and a concept-finding session.

This is where the word RENCONTRE comes into being as a reflection of the place and time in which the work is carried out. We tripled the word to develop geometric and chromatic rhythms along the façade.