Residency
Cité internationale des arts
The Grand [Ensemble] Tour is an art and research project developed during a residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris in the fall of 2025.
Cité internationale des arts
The Grand [Ensemble] Tour is an art and research project developed during a residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris in the fall of 2025.
Reimagining the traditional Grand Tour—once a journey to the ruins of antiquity—the project turns its attention to the Parisian grands ensembles: postwar housing complexes built primarily during Les Trente Glorieuses (1945–1975) as symbols of progress and housing for all, later burdened by neglect and stigma.
Because these neighbourhoods occupy a sensitive place in public discourse, we adopted drawing as our primary method. Many residents prefer not to be photographed, and drawing—slow, public, and conversational—invites curiosity and exchange. Rather than fleeting images, it demands time and presence, treating these postwar complexes as monuments in their own right.
The project was funded by the Finnish Culture Fund and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland and was done in collaboration with local organizations Accueil & Culture and Compagnons Bâtisseurs. Its culmination was a series of drawing workshops in Sarcelles, organised with dramaturg Elaheh Nouri. The work was exhibited at Cité internationale des arts in December 2025
