Chiens de la Casse (“Junkyard dogs”) is what young people call each other in France’s rough suburban neighborhoods. Jean-Manuel Simoes is holding an exhibition at the Centre Culturel André Malraux in Bouret to coincide with the release of his book, available from Michel Husson.
On October 27, 2005, in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, two teenagers, Zyed, 14, and Bouna, 16, died while fleeing from the police by climbing a wall into a power substation, where they were electrocuted. A few kilometers away in Villiers-le-Bel, on November 25, 2007, two other boys, Larami, 15, and Mousin, 16, were killed in an automobile accident with police. The facts were different, but there were several similarities between the two victims in terms of the location and the aftermath.
From the outside, the general feeling about these areas is one of profound despair. We know the consequences, but what about the causes? Against the backdrop of a national and global economic crisis, daily life in these neighborhoods changes little, since their local economies have been gone for a long time. It was here that, according to one French rap lyric, “Satan pissed in the fountain of youth.”
The people here get by with very little. The public infrastructure is weak. Urban, social and immigration policies have all failed. This is where the French population is the youngest, the most dynamic, the least inhibited by convention. The walls here are gray, the streets are filthy, and public services are spotty.Yet it is a world filled with energy, scheming and violence. The people might not seem friendly at first, but the codes of conduct are different in this place, where cameras are not welcome. What little hope that remains is disappearing.
After years as a photojournalist chasing after every event, Jean-Manuel Simoes decided to take more simple pictures closer up: life, people, passing time. With no trace of naivété or sensationalism, this is the first book from a photographer who believes that the first step towards knowledge is accepting what one sees.
Jean-Manuel Simoes
Exhibition
Chiens de la Casse
Jean-Manuel Simoes
From December 5th, 2013 to February 14th, 2014
La Capsule
Centre Culturel André Malraux
10, avenue Francis de Pressensé
93350 Le Bourget
France
T : +33 (0)1 48 38 50 14
Monday – Friday : 9am – 12.30pm & 2pm – 6pm.
Saturday : 10am – 13pm & 2pm – 5pm.
Free Entrance
[email protected]
Book
Chiens de la Casse
Jean-Manuel Simoes
Editions Michel Husson
96 pages
30€
http://www.lacapsule.org
http://www.simoesjm.com
