Photography
Julie Balagué / Catherine Fiumani / Fanny Taillandier / Renée Gailhoustet / Raphaële Bertho
The Maladrerie neighborhood in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis, is one of the most remarkable achievements in late 1970s urban architecture, designed by Renée Gailhoustet. Moving away from the tired model of high-rise blocks and towers, her architectural experiment in Aubervilliers aimed to change the status of social housing within the urban fabric.
With its futuristic architecture combining concrete, glass, green terraces, and angular shapes, it leaves plenty of room for pedestrian traffic and vegetation.
In 2017, artist Julie Balagué moved there. She went out to meet the residents, passersby, and local associations. Her work combines photographs of the architectural complex with portraits of the residents.
Short poetic texts by novelist Fanny Taillandier, inspired by the testimonies collected by the photographer, accompany the series of images. At the end of the book is a booklet containing two more contextual and theoretical texts by architect Katherine Fiumani and photography historian Raphaële Bertho.
Utopie Maladrerie, 24.4 x 30 cm, 92 pages, most of which fold out into 3 or 4 panels, 60 four-color reproductions, paperback with double flaps.
Graphic design: Lola Hale
