As part of a partnership between the Beaux-Arts de Paris and L'apes, a mutual aid association within the Action Logement group dedicated to social cohesion, Océane Pilastre, a 2023 graduate, is installing a three-dimensional artwork titled “Les Habitants” in Vitry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne) at the Vitry Grimau Verte housing complex, managed by a subsidiary of Action Logement.
Composed of human and animal figures, *Les Habitants* references the history of the area, which was first a forest, then an expanse of fields, farmland, nurseries, and vineyards, and, until recently, an industrial zone. This mural, measuring 15 meters by 2 meters, is made from a single shaped copper tube—a material that evokes the town’s industrial past.
“With this sculptural installation, I hope to offer residents a space that evokes emotion, directly connected to the history of the region. The hollow silhouettes, inspired by cave paintings, become inhabitants in their own right: stories, traces, and guardians of everyday life. They serve as a reminder that Vitry-sur-Seine is an ecosystem where wildlife, domestic animals, and humans have coexisted for centuries. Each one evokes a fragment of life and memory of the place. Children and adults alike will be able to learn about species that, at one time or another, have lived on, passed through, or left their mark on the land of Vitry.” Océane Pilastre
Since 2020, thanks to this partnership with L’apes, nearly a dozen projects have been launched in the housing complexes of member subsidiaries of the Action Logement group, including Seqens, Inli, and In’li Property Management, the manager of the Vitry Grimau Verte housing complex.
L’apes is also a sponsor of the Fresque & Art en situation program at the Beaux-Arts de Paris.
