TRACES OF THE OLD HOSPITAL
SAINT-VINCENT-DE-PAUL IN LES GRANDS VOISINS
“Every present, in order to know itself as present, bears the trace of an absent which defines it.”
Derrida: The Father of Deconstruction — Jayant Prasad, Research Student, Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
An old No-Entry sign, currently repainted and inviting the visitors to wander around and explore Les Grands Voisins Project.
Introducing new inhabitants into spaces which were planned according to very strict rules, no longer relevant and suitable for them, resembles having actors recite a theatrical play on a set designed for another dramatical piece, inviting for re-evaluations and examination of each movement and action and their relationship with the surrounding space, even the most ordain,.
Opportunities granted by abandoned public architectural sites to new tenants are many and varied, encouraging them to define their own identity and needs in relation to the signs and traces left behind, to write their new scenarios shaped by a dialogue with the old stories that these buildings tell and discover creative adaptation solutions.
For this reason, on the morning of Wednesday, Sep.7th 2016, when I arrived together with my fellow students from the EdTech Master program in the CRI to our first Educational Anthropology field trip at “Les Grands Voisins”, a social project set in the heart of Paris in the abandoned Hospital of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, I was curious to decipher and understand how the very specific spaces which formed the old hospital affect the activities, interactions and possibility to fulfill the goals of the current social associations involved in the project. Where (if at all) do the old architectural remains meet the needs of the new inhabitants and where a strong contrast is being felt between the new spirit of the place and the past functions for which it was designed.
I photographed the entire visit and loaded the pictures to my Instagram account, accompanied by some thoughts and comments and several repeating hashtags (#OpenEdTech #EducationalAnthropology #GrandsVoisins). I invite you to read this article alongside with viewing my photographic documentation.
Les Grands Voisins is an innovative social project which aims to examines possibilities of inhabiting the many and various spaces of an abandoned hospital in the center of Paris with housing solutions for immigrants and homeless people, work space for social entrepreneurs, artists and designers and urban renovation projects such as a camping site and a restaurant.
Our visit began at the Oratoire building (74 Avenue Denfert-Rochereau) where the offices of the Plateau Urbain are located. We entered into an old neglected and gloomy court yard around which the housing of the homeless people, managed by the Aurore association are set, relatively separated from the rest of the project. An intentional separation aimed to protect the mentally delicate tenants that live there, as later explained to us by Pascal, one of the coordinators of the project. There were no evident interventions in the building itself nor the court, only paper signs hang with tape containing written instructions and warnings addressed for the tenants, using condescending language, demonstrating no attempt to be kind, polite or inviting. In the light of my very specific investigation, the adaptation of the old hospital structure to it’s new purpose was unsuccessful and worked against the declared goals and aspirations of the Aurore Association, the buildings of the hospital continued to function as a platform for hosting a sick, secluded, weak and depressed population, the old setting only enhanced and reflected their weakness and their dependency.
This atmosphere stood in direct contrast to the cheerful carnival I encountered once stepping into the official entrance of the project just a few steps ahead, shared by the visitors and the people who work in the various associations and workshops located in Les Grands Voisins. The eye would not rest for a minute. What was formerly the service area of the hospital, characterized by scattered small buildings, became interwoven with colorful, interesting and attractive design and artistic projects, demonstrating the diligence, industrious, creative and optimistic spirit of the new tenants and their clear intentions to be heard, make a difference and reinvent society. Echoing and fitting in naturally with the spirit of the laborious people that occupied these spaces when the hospital was functioning — the healthy bodies which labored in order to supply services for the sick in the nearby buildings.
This part of the project was indeed very welcoming, full of activities and surprises, bursting with life, fun and creativity (Jalaguier, Rapine, La Lingerie, Pasteur, la chaufferie and the zone where the urban camping site is located). In the light of my research I found it fascinating how with very little financial resources, but with loads of human ones, an industrial grey area has turned into a blooming garden, filling the space with a clear invitation to become involved, explore, meet, share and enjoy. The old and humble buildings served as a very suitable base for the various artistic and design interventions and were in great harmony with their current tenants, reflecting on their easy going, non official way of living, constantly exploring new solutions for the revolution of the social order.
I continued further, entering the corridors of the oratoire building, in search of the former hospital, where in the past people lay sick, suffering, hassled around by doctors and nurses, helpless against modern medical institutions which often treat the patient as no more than a number, another case… I was curious to find what was left from the interior design of the various departments and if changes were made for the sake of the new inhabitants.
Hospitals are characterized by long corridors with big and heavy doors. The design is very practical, the materials are easy to clean, the general feel is of a big institution, very official, very professional, strictly run by many regulations and rules whose main goal is to preserve high standards of hygiene and social hierarchy. The colors are cold pastel shades and the materials used are mainly synthetic and smooth. It is in the interest of the hospital that the patient stays as little as possible and in the light of this, the design is distant from creating a homey and cozy atmosphere. I was interested in finding out if that was also the visual message sent to the homeless people now inhabiting the place or has there been some intervention in order to transform the spaces into more inviting and personal. My exploration led me to the conclusion that very little interventions have been made in the parts of the buildings inhabited by the mentally weak and homeless people, the corridors were gloomy and dark, long and silent. I noticed that some corridors were repainted, but with soft colors and very simple shapes, almost as to not being sure if it was a new addition or a legacy. there was no attempt to break the old geometrical and chromatic order — the visual message was clear — do not make yourselves at home, this is a state institution with very clear hierarchy, you are the dysfunction patients who completely depend on our knowledge and expertise.
I did not dare enter the parts where the immigrants live, but kept to wandering around in the deserted courtyard of the pinard building, immediately noticing that also there, no efforts have been made to bring new life, energies and hope as far as the design was concerned. The huge and deserted courtyard located in the heart of the Pinard complex could have been entirely altered by very simple intervention such as cultivating an urban garden and building some furniture from recycled wood, but instead it was left in the hands of the immigrants who filled the walls with brutal and protesting graffiti and used the yard for improvised kitchens.
The areas addressed to the visitors and workers in Les Grands Voisins are spread with endless inspiring and meaningful design and artistic interventions. Despite of them being very spontaneous and using improvised solutions, these elements made considerable changes in the ability of the spaces to be appealing to various public and they teach us how visual transformations can make an enormous difference and send very powerful messages using very little financial means — serving also as a non formal, yet important educational lesson for the unprivileged population who take shelter there. It proved to me once more that only art and culture can create a bridge and generate hope, encouraging life, creativity, freedom to explore without judgment and fear of failure. In my opinion, the powerful and successful interactions that characterized the public areas of the project should be interwoven into all parts of Les Grands Voisins, enabling the story of the old hospital to transform into a story of sincere concern for the health and well being of the unfortunate people who have found shelter within these walls and serve as a successful platform for their preparation to integrate successfully in society.
