In Noisy-Le-Sec, in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, the ICF Habitat La Sablière, a 397-unit residential building, is undergoing major changes in the context of a urban development initiative called «Quartier durable de la Plaine de l’Ourcq»: there is construction of housing and shops, a new street, the demolition of a building…

In a time of change when human relationships become even more important, ICF Habitat La Sablière decided to celebrate the building’s residents, the diversity and the richness of their respective life stories.

Whether they are tenants, caretakers or organizations, all contribute to building the identity of this community, and without always knowing each other; they also live in the neighborhood of Noisy-Le-Sec which is, as elsewhere, a place of solidarity, generosity, and competence.

After a first phase of creation and the sharing of written and drawn portraits within the building, two exhibits and interactive readings were organized, one by the city of Noisy-le-Sec with the Graines de Noisy organization, and the other by the department of Seine-Saint-Denis during the Canal summer festival organized by Seine-Saint-Denis Tourisme.

The portraits, a way to generate dialogue, offered each participant a transformative experience, a (re)discovery of other people and places, a change of perspective, and new relationships.

The most diverse audiences gathered around the portraits, which provide a hint of an image of the Greater Paris community and the universal face of a human community.