Because they preserve the memory of the various governments of France since the Middle Ages and their interactions with the populations, the National Archives are essential for finding traces of the past over the long term.
The richness and diversity of the subjects evoked by the archives allow everyone to cross their personal history with the collective history.
Archives provide the perspective needed to understand contemporary social issues, they are decisive in the construction and appropriation of common values of a society or a culture.
The National Archives wish to open their doors wide to make this common history known to everyone and to appropriate this history.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Pierrefitte-sur-Seine building, they are celebrating this anniversary throughout 2023.
In parallel with the production of their portrait for Inside out project, the participants will choose a portrait taken from the collections of the National Archives, of people, known or not, and will be able to integrate it into the shooting of their own portrait, weaving a link between the past and the present.
These “double portraits” will then be glued together in a large fresco on the National Archives site for the next European Heritage Days. An overview will be produced and communicated online.