Un Peu de Nous

The sharp angles and bare concrete of the residential complex designed by Jean Renaudie and Renée Gailhoustet in the 1970s rise above the rooftops of the Parisian banlieue like spikes of stars. "Les Étoiles" in Ivry-sur-Seine is an enigmatic and potentially unsettling feature in the urban landscape.

The avant-garde complex consists of 40 social housing units, offices and shops arranged on different levels in a kind of pyramid structure, with the compositional theme of the triangle and the green elements characterising the strategy of softening the presence of cold concrete to mix nature and architectural structure: open volumes, innovative spaces, dynamic access routes give the complex a labyrinthine feel

Against this urban backdrop, the movements of the protagonists merge seamlessly with the geometric shapes and communal areas, reflecting the complexity of human relationships in the midst of modernist structures. Choreographer and dancer Dovydas Strimaitis was inspired by the idea that something remains after us and also that the principle of design is still captivating today. "Even when relationships break down - on some level we remain connected, even when socialism breaks down - something remains."

Filmed in June 2024 at Les Étoiles in Ivry-Sur-Seine, France.