Bois des Frères (Brotherswood)

This story begins in the sixties, in Geneva’s suburb, when it was necessary to accommodate hundreds of Italian workers came to build the towers of Lignon (largest european building), twelve barracks were then appointed as a temporary solution to host seasonal workers. It should not last, however, these cabins still exist today and still host men whose origins are not only Italy but across Europe and Africa. Photographed in natural light, the series « Bois des Frères » (Brotherswood) reveals this « out of time » place in Geneva usually known for its financial center and worldwide center for diplomacy and in this way unveils a usually unseen reality. Portraits of men, still lifes and landscapes gives us a precise and genuine image of the barracks and the surrounding environment: their proximity to the Rhone river gives the place a rural feel, whilst their their privacy is confined in their 10m2 rooms. « Bois des Frères » illustrate also people’s infinite capacity to adapt to their marginalised status and even find a place.