Parcours

#story

European Residency Awards
October 2021

Parcours examines the bond between people and places in the age of digital navigation. Developed through a collaboration between the Photolux Festival of Lucca and Diaphane in Clermont-de-l’Oise, the project emerged during my 2021 artist residency in Clermont. Over two weeks, I aimed to create a collective map by connecting the city's outward landscape with the personal memories of its inhabitants. Through a series of portraits, participants were photographed in locations they felt deeply connected to—a wasteland, a forest, an old school, or a dimly lit street corner—transforming overlooked spaces into dignified protagonists of human stories, challenging the impersonal gaze of algorithm-driven navigation.

Their narratives opened a new imaginary world, giving profound meaning to places I had seen as anonymous or abandoned. The residents became both subjects and co-creators of a collective emotional map, rooted in personal experience.

Alongside these interactions, I explored the city through spontaneous walks, capturing disconnected images. By embracing disorientation, these visuals formed a unique narrative, bridging the gaps in my understanding of the cityscape.

Gradually, the portraits and my wanderings coalesced into a meaningful map—a blend of fragments that oriented me within a fantastical yet personal and more familiar version of Clermont. It became mine.

Parcours has been on display at: Photaumnales 2022 in Clermont-de-l’Oise, Photolux festival 2024 in Lucca.

Lionel Ollivier, mayor of Clermont de l'Oise, by the drawing room of his old school College Fernel. The building was decommissioned in 2003, but it will come back to life as a cultural hub thanks to the vision and the commitment of the major. "It reminds me of my student days, but not just that. Being part of a project, seeking grants, securing funding, helping to bring this place back to life. Even though it's still an imagined reality, it's not bad to have been part of it."

Remy Moreau, by Ruelle du Collége. "As a child, I used to walk down this small road with my grandmother on our way to the park. Later, as an adult, I would ride my bike along the same path, and then later still, I’d cruise it on my moped with friends, searching for cherries. Today, at 52, I live on this very street, having spent most of my life here."

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Claude Boulet, president of the Society of Archaeology and History of Clermont, by his home in Rue Général Pershing. The house is adorned with numerous frescoes painted by his uncle, Robert Boulet, who lived there for most of his life, from 1933 to 1969. "My uncle decorated this house. He painted extensively, but never sought fame. There are many religious themes here, as well as numerous family portraits."

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"The first time I came here was four years ago. I used to have a lot of fun coming here with my friend Maelle. We would fish using her dad's equipment. Once we caught three fishes. At first, we kept them, but eventually, we released them. It is always nice to spend time here".

Nelly Moreau, by the Chemin des Vignoble. "This is a small path I used to walk as a child with my grandfather. He worked as a gardener for a local family, and every Thursday, when school was out, we would walk along this path to the garden he tended. It was thanks to him that I developed a love for nature. Every now and then, with my group of women walkers, we pass by this path".

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André Vantomme, former mayor of Clermont and former Senator of the Republic, by the Chapelle des Lardières. One of his great passions is churches. Over the years, he has photographed thousands of churches around the world. "I am a nonbeliever, but for me, religion has no relationship with art. You can admire the beauty of churches without believing. When I was a child, my father and mother didn't go to church, but I managed to separate art from faith."

Isabelle Trioux, librarian, by the Fitz-James footbridge. "I like this footbridge because it's the place I used to walk from Fitz-James to Clermont all the time. In Clermont, there was the only library in the area, and it was really the only place to go. I used to go there to do homework, and for me, it was an opening to the world. I didn't know anything. In a small village, the library was an important place. You had all the knowledge."

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Virginie Depressoir, actress, by the Donjon in Clermont. Behind her is the cell where Louise Michel, teacher, revolutionary activist, and feminist, was imprisoned in 1883. "When I learned that Louise Michel, a great revolutionary, was imprisoned here, I wanted to play her role and also to perform here, inspired by this place. It is a fragile building, but one that remains very strong; it is impressive. It's also a mysterious place, it's even a little scary."

Guillaume Dussez, in front of his old school, Notre-Dame de la Providence. "I was born in Clermont. Clermont is my heart city. I did all my nursery and primary schooling there until I was 11 years old. In the morning, I stood here with my mum, waiting for the guardian to come and open the door. My parents were divorced, but they both lived nearby. I have a lot of good memories here; there are friends who hang out at the video game shop where I work that I met here 30 years ago."

Léa David, by the cinema hall 'Paul Lebrun' in Clermont. In 2019, Léa became the director of the cinema at just 22 years old. 'I've been connected to this cinema since I was a child. I used to come here with my family and later with friends. I built a large part of my film culture and my general culture here. I love this place very much. When I was offered the opportunity to take over, I immediately said yes!"

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Ahmed Iskou, social worker, in front of his house in the Les Sables district. "What I like about this place is that you have the impression of being in people's living rooms. Do you see the windows around us? This is the living room of the houses around here, and we are in the middle. We are outside, but at the same time, we are in the living room with the people. It's a sort of extension of these houses, but it's collective."

Thibaut Bernard, by the bi-cross field in the Les Sables district. "At the edge of the district, there is this large bi-cross field where I used to come to ride my bike, along with many other people from the neighborhood. It's a field that was partially created by the people of the area. When I was a kid, I participated in bi-cross competitions all over the Oise region, but I really started here. This is the neighborhood I grew up in."

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Cheick Sine, by the Les Sables district. "I've lived in this neighborhood until now. I often frequent this place. There is a lot of traffic here. The best way to see as many people as possible during the day is to stand here. I come here to wait for someone I can talk to, or sometimes just to stay quiet and clear my head a little bit. Sometimes people ask me why I'm alone in this place. They think I'm crazy, but I'm not."

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Aurore Merchez, by the former sports field of the Jeanne d'Arc secondary school. "The school was supposed to become a large car park, and the sports field has completely disappeared. Today, there is no physical trace of those school years because the school is no longer here. Those were also the only years I practiced sports, as I had some health problems afterward and was exempt for the rest of my schooling. So, the only years I did sports at school were here."

Cathy Renault, by Chatelier Park. "The Chatelier is my whole childhood. I used to come here by bike. There were gym classes with the school. It's the place of the heart; it's a beautiful lung of oxygen in the city, and it's so nice; it's pretty. When we were kids, we used to go into the water tower over there. We weren't necessarily supposed to go, but we went anyway, like all the kids."