114
Project 114, led by photographer Mélanie Wenger, examines through collective creation the representation of incarcerated individuals within three French prisons. It involves them in the creative process as active collaborators. The photographer aims to disrupt the dominant discourse on incarceration and probes the concepts of punishment and rehabilitation.
The work is based on the archives of Alphonse Bertillon to confront the reductive simplification of the stereotyped interpretation of criminal anthropology against the personal stories of the inmates. Instead of recognizing the existence of typology of criminals through the effect of repetition, this experiment made of many disparate voices invites the audience to look for individuality. Rather than seeking to find the marks of crime, it seeks the marks of humanity, to finally access the story, the identity of their bearers, as a message to decipher. Men, women, mothers, young girls who look at themselves, discover or rediscover themselves outside the anthropological classification and stereotypes conveyed by society and the authorities that the inmates reproduce due to lack of choice. 114 creates a space for dismantling masks and roles where the incarcerated individuals use photography as a language to reappropriate their identity. The collective creation process is transformative, challenging the perceptions of the participants, artists, and the public on incarceration and reintegration.
In collaboration with artists and curators, including Ariane Kovalevsky, Jef Bonifacino, Brigitte Patient, and Monica Santos, project 114 questions the traditional perception and role of photography. 114 becomes a tool in the process of reintegration of incarcerated individuals, encouraging them to reconsider their identities and societal roles. Named after the prison population density rate of 114% in 2022 in France, the project aims to initiate a broader dialogue on how to conceive punishment and mechanisms of repression.
Participants in the collective creation, inmates from the penitentiary centers and detention houses of Rennes, Lyon-Corbas, and Fleury-Mérogis: Khaled A., Valjean, Wes, STAX, A. C., M. D., La Louverie, Greg, Le Saltimbanque, Nastou, Sophie, Murielle, Détenue anonyme quartier radicalisé, Abdennour, Franck, Benjamin, Oswald, Philippe, Alain, Miguel, Amir, Castanou.
Ces photographies ont été produites dans le cadre de la grande commande nationale "Radioscopie de la France : regards sur un pays traversé par la crise sanitaire" financée par le Ministère de la culture et pilotée par la BnF. Avec le soutien de la Direction régionale des Affaires culturelles d'Île-de-France - Ministère de la Culture, du SPIP 93, les Archives de la Préfecture de police de Paris et la Fondation Meyer.
Dans les établissements suivants : Centre Pénitentiaire pour Femmes de Rennes, le Centre Pénitentiaire de Fleury-Mérogis et le Centre de Détention de Lyon-Corbas le Centre Pénitentiaire pour Femmes de Rennes, le Centre Pénitentiaire de Fleury-Mérogis et le Centre de Détention de Lyon-Corbas.
More stories from Melanie Wenger
