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In this project I got to know the life of homeless people in central Parisian districts. The same 20 to 30 men stayed overnight directly in front of the Cité internationale des arts Paris. Also there were distributed the food and
/ or clothes in the evening, the social workers and volunteers visited the place regularly. All this attracted more homeless and socially needy people to this place. It was extremely important to me to speak to these people
on an equal footing. Only a few were ready to talk. I wanted to find out
what brought them into such a situation or whether and how they can be
helped. I had particularly intensive conversations with men whose mother
tongue was Russian. This is due to the fact that they and I were born and
raised in the same country – the USSR. I met these men every evening
and spent hours talking about their and my life. Only one homeless person – Vladimir, a refugee from Russia – wanted to stand in front of the camera.
I accompanied him for a few days and got to know the daily routine
of a homeless person. In addition, I photographed the places that are
relevant for the homeless, such as places where they can sleep, get warm
meals or store their belongings. What looks like the splendid backdrop
of a cosmopolitan city in full shine during the day – think of the Louvre,
medieval Seine bridges, small alleys around Notre-Dame or the Hôtel de
Ville, at night the area changes into a place with lots of sleeping bags and
tents. Immersing myself in the world of a homeless person in Paris raised
more questions than answers for me.