I LIVED ON THE 3RD FLOOR IN TOWER N2

of FATMI Mounir

FRANCE, 2010, 00:10:12

Production : FATMI Mounir
Genre : Video art
Keyword : Society, Architecture, Town planning

Summary :
"During a four-year residency in the Parisian banlieue of Mantes-La-Jolie at the Espace Culturel Multimédia Le Chaplin in the early 2000s, fatmi filmed the demolition of the housing blocks in Le Val Fourré. Huge mechanical diggers operated, again, ‘under the skin’ of the urban body, opening up the bedrooms where humans once lived, loved and slept, the kitchens where they drank and partied, the lounges where they sat, and even the bathrooms made to ensure that the body’s privacy is always protected. But suddenly now we see the tiles on the walls, ripped, torn and exposed, thrust before passers-by, previous inhabitants, neighbours. The floral upholstery of the former bedrooms evokes the forgotten dreams of former lovers. Endless still shots yoke the time of silence to the space of loss. The violence is irremediable. Demolishing cities is no gentle matter. Life is no gentle matter." Barbara Polla

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