On a small street in Paris’s 9th arrondissement, the brightly colored basketball court on Rue Duperré has become an unexpected landmark. Photographed countless times and shared widely on social media, the court is often treated as a visual icon of the city. But beyond its graphic appeal lies a quieter story, one shaped not by architecture or sport, but by the lives of the young people who gather around it.

Although the project begins at the basketball court, it quickly moves beyond it. The images unfold in bedrooms, kitchens, stairwells, and on street corners, spaces where daily life takes shape away from the public gaze. These familiar environments reveal the rhythms of friendship and family, where conversations, music, and moments of quiet coexist.

Many members of the community surrounding Rue Duperré come from families with African roots. Their heritage appears throughout the work, not with explicit statements but with gestures, sounds, and shared rituals. Music drifts through apartments, meals are prepared together, and stories circulate among friends and relatives. In these moments, identity emerges as something lived and evolving, carried across generations while adapting to the contemporary Parisian landscape.

At the heart of the project lies a sense of collectivity. The friendships between Morro, Mael, and Adams extend outward into a wider network of siblings, cousins, neighbors, and lifelong companions. In this environment, the boundaries between friendship and family often blur, creating a support system built on proximity and shared experience.

Rue Duperré itself becomes more than a backdrop. Through repeated visits and familiar encounters, the neighborhood reveals itself as an ecosystem shaped by routine, memory, and human connection. Moving between private interiors and public streets, the photographs explore how identity is formed collectively and over time.

Visually, the work shifts between intimacy and openness. Portraits sit alongside unguarded moments, close details give way to wider scenes, and color images intermingle with black-and-white frames. Rather than seeking spectacle, the project favors proximity, inviting viewers into the rhythm of everyday life.