Wendy Huynh

0:03 Thank you hello my name is Wendy Ewing I'm a photographer from Paris suburbs and I work across different fields Fashion portraiture sports travel documentary often exploring the themes of identity culture and place and one of my latest projects was a series of portraits of Asian women which was a way for me to represent a community that we often misrepresent and stigmatize but tonight I'm going to talk about another project that another passion that I have which is the suburbs I came to London to study at San Martin's and it really was my back and forth between London and my hometown in the Eastern celebrities of Paris that I cannot question this love-hate relationship that I had with my suburbs so I started documenting my commutes in the area which is the the Suburban trains in Paris that's also when I started documenting people on the streets taking their portraits in my hometown and that's when I started becoming interested in documentary photography but when I came back to London to talk about the suburbs of Paris everyone had more this idea of LA and natural casovites cars burning riots and I was just like I mean okay anyone who doesn't come from Paris Subs is not like this yes they are rougher suburbs and they have been riots for very specific reasons but they're not dangerous places or no-go zones like people used to portray the the suburbs so that's what led me to create arcades magazine which was actually my final year project and through our case I just really wanted to portray what it felt like living in the margins of the city and what what the suburbs really are not representing the servers because it's a trend but just yeah just telling people what they are and also telling my own experience of it and our case is a publication where you could find the series of documentary photography interviews portraits but for me it was also a way to to work with my friends to work with photographers whom I really love the work. And it was a space for me also to to start my career as a photographer our case also gave me the opportunity to meet Gerard who's pictured on the left hand side who's the architect of Le Chu de krite actually translates as the cabbages so the cabbages of Crete I think someone probably thought it looked like cabbages I mean they're not supposed to be called the cabbages of Crete but yeah that's how people know them and they became very famous especially in That 70s era of utopian architecture and yes I had this amazing time meeting Gerald had a coffee with him in Paris and he was telling me in 1998 he visited the local Primary School organized with a school during competition and after our coffee he sent me an email with all those drawings that you can see on the right hand side and poems that he kept at home.

3:41 And I was thinking I mean it's so amazing we need to do something with those drawings so that kind of stayed in my mind for a few years. And in 20 2019 I met my friend Jessica piche who is a French art director and she grew up in the shoe I was telling her about these drawings and the competition and actually she participated in this competition and also won it.

4:07 So that's yeah all of this to say that's how we started the project the subject of the night and it's a social documentary project that I've been working on with Jessica for over two years two years and a half and again I don't know if anyone knows these buildings but they're very iconic there's been a lot of fashion shows I've been done there there's been a lot of films I've been made there.

4:36 But we don't really know who lives there. And we don't really know what it looks like inside as well.

4:43 So we really want to tell the story of architecture and of these iconic buildings through the residence so we spent two years meeting people the the teachers in the local schools the social actors of the neighborhood we also like every time we met people in their Flats I managed to get different perspectives of the buildings and yeah we just started to know a bit everyone there just made friends went to see some football games every time we also collect archives from residents of when they started moving in the shoe and this project coincided with the 50th anniversary of these buildings and we thought it'd be the great time to reorganize this during competition.

5:36 So we did that we reorganized the drawing competition with the kids and that was also the architect's wish at the time. And we it was amazing to like to give access because I think coming from the suburbs you don't necessarily have this access to the arts and culture especially at schools and yeah that was for us.

5:57 So important to give this access to the kids so we we organize this competition we organize a award ceremony as well where they had each diploma medal prices all the work is gathered in a book as well. And I really helped us give value to the kids work and for this anniversary we also thought that was the best time to exhibit the work been doing for over the last two years.

6:30 So we created a outdoor exhibition like a photographic walk as you can see we was just sticking I mean we're literally like sticking the pictures in the neighborhood in the streets we're a bit terrified with this purple color glue but yeah it dried transparent in the end but yeah it's it was really a way for us to to kind of having all the pictures outside was a way for us to to show like we could ReDiscover a neighborhood or discover a neighborhood as well and trying to follow the photos and it made so much sense to share the project the first time with the people we met and photograph directly in the hearts of the neighborhood and also as a photographer as a documentary photographer he really questioned me on how do you share a project and what is the best way to do it.

7:33 And I love this picture on the right hand side those two girls were trying to spot them on the on the picture trying to spot their friends as well and yeah there was this sense of pride and joy that you know it made you realize that this product you do it for them not for you you know.

7:50 So yeah that was that was an amazing exhibition in September 2022 two months later we had the opportunity to exhibit the projects for the first time in Paris in the old tattoo shop in balis I don't know anyone French or from Paris might know this shop it's a shop where you used to find all the bar games in the north part of Paris and the shop closed down there's a French label that missiles that took over the space to host cultural events talks exhibitions and thanks to them we managed to we had this opportunity to show the project.

8:30 And that's how we show the products for the first time in Paris the space was amazing although it was completely gutted there was no lights there was nothing.

8:41 So we had to reimagine the whole sonography and and that was also the time for us to show more work show archives so we had some interviews as well film and audio and that's also the space where we showed the artwork from the kids who won the competition as well. And we just wanted to add ourselves a bit more work.

9:05 So we hosted a series of talks as well questioning what the culture of the suburb is and we love working with kids so much that we also organize sculpture a workshop for kids we also organize cooking Workshop again to give this access for free to the kids so really.

9:31 This is just the start of the project because the project will develop further and hopefully culminate into a book in the coming year with the material shown tonight and also there's a lot more things I haven't shown you yet it's a very special project because nothing has been done about these buildings and even less about the residents and also Gerald Grande passed away in December 2021 so that's a way to pay or manage to him and his work as well to finish doing this project really opened my mind on my photography practice the role of a documentary photographer is not just about the final imagery of course it's all about this thinking when you start a project the process the social practices how you share the project with the people you met and where. And it really is and arcades I know to My Love For documentary photography I encourage everyone to do documentary work because there's nothing greater than creating encounters with strangers getting to know them tell their stories stand up for what you believe in as well.

10:43 And it's even better when you can do it with your friends thank you. So it's nice that for having me thank you for listening foreign