[mosaïque mousaïenne - 2025]

The Mouzaïa neighbourhood is a small and relatively hidden gem nestled in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. In its sequence of narrow, pedestrian-friendly streets, residents have taken ownership of their ground floors and facades, transforming them into personalized works of art. The result is a neighbourhood that exudes a vibrant individuality, character, and a sense of community. Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the neighbourhood was originally designed to accommodate workers, many of whom laboured in nearby factories or on the construction of the expansive Buttes-Chaumont park. The area’s narrow streets, known as ‘villas’, are a deviation from the grand Haussmannian boulevards that dominate much of Paris. The streets of Mouzaïa — barely three meters wide in most cases — demand an intimate connection with their surroundings. Walking through this quartier means getting up close to the ‘ornamental’ architecture: delicate ironwork balconies, mosaics, colourful shutters, and verdant courtyards, each offering a window into the lives of its inhabitants. My regular passages through the neighbourhood eventually turned into a series of photographs, which have culminated in this little book: mosaïque mouzaïenne , a collection of facades, doors, compositions and “Mouzaïanisms”.