For three years, he lived immersed in Sarcelles, meeting hundreds of residents, sharing the daily lives of some of them with the objective of being a witness to their reality, far from preconceptions about the cities. He listened to them, immortalized them by taking photos. Six years later, Camilo León Quijano, Colombian anthropologist and photographer, at the invitation of the city’s Made in Sarcelles collective and with the support of Roissy Pays de France and the Abbé-Pierre Foundation, returns to Sarcelles for an exhibition of ‘around 70 of his… 11,000 photos, all taken in black and white.
Teals. The Colombian artist wanted to “understand urban use, capture through photography how residents see themselves and perceive public space”. Camilo León Quijano
The Sarcellois and their territory are the stars, without any embellishment. With these candid moments of life, these urban landscapes, the anthropologist recounts the city where he resided from 2015 to 2018. “I was doing research on the question of gender in the city. I was offered Sarcelles or Cergy. Sarcelles was closer to Paris. So I chose it. It was a lucky coincidence,” says Camilo León Quijano. He took his first steps there with “a little apprehension”. “I also had feedback about Sarcelles being a lawless area. I was in a place very different from Paris because of its urban planning that I didn’t necessarily understand. »
Made in Sarcelles, among other things, gives him the keys to the city and introduces him to the inhabitants. He works with the association Du Côté des Femmes, organizes photo workshops, meets college students, follows residents in their daily lives, their mobilization in particular against the demolition of the Cholettes forum, witnesses their indignation during the visit of Emmanuel Macron, then candidate for the presidential election.
“Getting away from the miserabilist outlook, we know that”
Its objective: “To deconstruct the preconceptions about Sarcelles, to propose new stories, to move away from the miserabilist gaze, we know that,” explains Camilo León Quijano. My goal was not to make a documentary on Sarcelles, but to understand urban use, to capture through photography how residents see themselves and perceive public space and how they show their city. It was really about focusing on their action and their ability to be an actor in the city. » And the result is eloquent: “The Sarcellois see themselves as active citizens, who have a place beyond what is said in the media or in the speeches of politicians. The image is positive but not naive and they know the problems of their city. »
Exhibition until Saturday October 14 at the Anna-Langfus intercommunal media library “La Cité”. Hours: Tuesday and Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Koumba Diarra, 22 years old, rugby player: “That day, I was super happy”
Teals. Camilo León Quijano displays some of the photos taken when he lived in the city. Camilo León Quijano
The years have passed, but Koumba, now 22, an accounting student, remembers precisely when Camilo took this photo of her. “I was in 9th grade, I was a little girl and I dreamed of the place I occupy today. That day, I was super happy. I had just learned that I was going to continue my course in sports studies in Perpignan. I wanted to show Camilo the view I had from my balcony over all of Sarcelles and the Eiffel Tower, but also the rugby ball that I had obtained at the 2015 Rugby World Cup,” says the young woman who had met the researcher at Chantereine College, while she was playing rugby within the establishment’s sports association, a real passion.
“We were doing a project on rugby at school, “20 rugbywomen, a dream, a project”. It was to go to the Rugby World Cup. One day, our teacher introduced Camilo to us, telling us that he was an anthropologist. We didn’t really know what that meant. He told us he was taking photos, and we all understood. » Things go well between the young girl and Camilo, who decides to follow his rugby team. This will result in hundreds of photos including that of Koumba, today presented at the exhibition on a large format measuring 2.50 m by 1.50 m and which has won multiple awards. The young woman kept a copy, which she placed in her entrance with four other photos taken by Camilo, as witnesses to the progress made.
Kader Zeghli, former greengrocer on the Sarcelles markets, 50 years old: “He came to seek the truth”
Teals. Camilo León Quijano followed residents of Sarcelles in their daily lives, like Kader, here at the Rungis market. Camilo León Quijano
Kader immediately hit it off with Camilo. “I liked his speech. He was not looking for misery or distress. He came to be factual and to know who we were, to seek the truth by setting his eyes on us without preconceptions. » So the fruit and vegetable seller on the Sarcelles market that he was at the time said banco and agreed that the anthropologist would follow him to Rungis. “We met at 3 a.m. at my place for coffee, then we hit the road. As soon as we got into the truck, he started taking photos,” recalls Kader, who, once in the Rungis halls, very quickly forgot the photographer.
“I no longer saw him, I was focused on my job, purchasing, negotiations. » Just once did he catch him on the floors taking photos from above. When Camilo showed him the photos, he was surprised to “discover himself in the heat of the action and find certain gestures or facial expressions of [son] father “. In particular, he keeps in mind a photo of himself, “in the alleys of Rungis, with his devil and somewhat unbalanced”. If these photos are well stored, he looks at them from time to time. “I sometimes see them again because there are people I no longer see and it’s a way of remembering them,” continues Kader, who left the profession, but remains as active in the city as ever. since he is notably the president of Kïaï judo.
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