Samantha Wilvert

LES ENFANTS DU CORBUSIER
(2023)

How does the architecture influence the way of life of the residents of Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse in Briey? During my research, I realised that a lot of things revolve around the children. There is an association that organizes activities for them, a football field, a tennis court and a huge forest that stretches behind the building designed by Le Corbusier. Many families live here, so it's impossible not to see children playing in the corridors or around the building.

I'm shooting with a Mamiya RB67 and my camera is quite low because of the chest viewfinder. Eventually I realize I'm at the height of a child. That makes sense.

So, I put myself in the shoes of my little self, who wants to explore the place and make it her playground. This special architecture that makes me wonder whether it adapts to my size, to that of a child.

Les enfants du Corbusier is a photo documentary about the lives of the children who live in Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse in Briey. The only Cité Radieuse which is surrounded by a huge forest, which becomes a playground for the residents.

Samantha Wilvert (*2000) is a Luxembourg-born French photographer whose work transcends borders and cultures. Inspired by the diversity of her environment and the stories of migrants in Luxembourg, she devotes herself primarily to documentary photography, exploring the deep links between places and the human beings who inhabit them. Her approach is not limited to taking photographs, as she strives to get to know her subjects intimately, opting for analog medium format, which implies a slow and thoughtful photographic approach.