The project is an ode to the area around Avenue D’Ivry and the brutalist Les Olympiades housing development in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, where Song for the Mute co-founder Lyna Ty spent her childhood in the 1990s. Built between 1969 and 1974, the area is home to a large South-East Asian diaspora, and is affectionately known as Le Quartier Asiatique. Lyna’s nostalgic memories of this period, distorted by time and distance, form the inspiration behind the collection – the neighbours, relatives and strangers she crossed paths with every day. Central to the project is a photo essay by Gurton that juxtaposes architectural studies of the imposing modernist development – the tower blocks named after Olympic host cities, the vast esplanade, the shopping arcade – with portraits of local residents wearing pieces from the collection, chosen themselves. The images are reproduced in a tabloid newspaper designed by 21–87, which brings together an ensemble cast including Mounir, an actor-comedian who grew up in the area; Benoit, who has been a resident since the development was built in 1974; and young artist Lea, a recent arrival drawn to the area by her own familial memories. We wanted to capture the neighbourhood and sense of community that Lyna remembered from her childhood. And although in some ways the area has changed dramatically, in others it’s much the same: an urban landscape that brings individuals together, a backdrop for their interactions and daily routines. — Photographer Daniel Gurton A series of short films, directed by Gurton and inspired by French national broadcaster ORTF’s documentaries of the 70s and 80s, sees each resident discussing what Les Olympiades means to them, interspersed with calm, meditative vignettes of the urban environment.