Vernissage - Bîranîn (musique kurde et danse)

Maison de la Conversation

Exhibition « Bîranîn » (Memory): Kurdistan through the eyes of Nesali journalists. Photos, documents & behind-the-scenes footage. Opening on September 3rd. Exhibition project Bîranîn ("Memory" in Kurdish) is a photographic and documentary exhibition conceived by Alice Moritz and Nesrine Cherifati, journalists and founders of the independent media outlet Nesali. The fruit of three months of reporting in northern Kurdistan (Bakur in Kurdish, located in southeastern Turkey), the exhibition accompanies a series of documentaries and articles devoted to the Kurdish question, published online. It gathers the memories of a journey and offers a complementary perspective to the final productions by revealing the behind-the-scenes of journalistic work: the encounters, the travels, the observations, the exchanges, the everyday moments and the human bonds that make reporting possible, while placing these experiences within the complex sociopolitical reality of the region. The installation is built around a map of Kurdistan tracing our route. Each stage of the journey is connected to a selection of photographs illustrating the places crossed, the people met and the subjects explored. These images engage in dialogue with the documentaries made in the field, offering the public a journey that connects spaces, narratives and memories. They capture moments of life that are sometimes ordinary for those who live them, but which shaped our understanding of the territory. By sharing them, we invite visitors to explore these fragments of memory and discover the stories they carry. These images engage in dialogue with the documentaries made in the field, which can be viewed via a QR code, offering the public an interactive journey connecting reports and field memories. The exhibition invites immersion into contemporary Kurdistan through the eyes of two field journalists, where cartography, photography and documentary compose a sensitive memory of the journey, the encounters and the realities crossed. Statement of intent This exhibition was born from a simple observation: when a report is published, a large part of the story disappears. For three months, we traveled across northern Kurdistan to produce a series of documentaries devoted to the Kurdish question: we covered political and social struggles, the transformations of the territory, cultural practices and the memories that run through this region. From the city of Van, located about a hundred kilometers from the Iranian border, we also worked on several subjects related to Iran, in particular the repression exercised by the regime and its consequences on the new generations. Behind each film lie hundreds of hours in the field and kilometers traveled, but also invitations to share a tea, nights spent with locals, weddings, spontaneous conversations, moments of waiting that never appear in the final productions. It is this invisible material that nourishes and makes journalistic work possible, and that we want to highlight through this exhibition. Bîranîn, which means "Memory" in Kurdish, was born from this desire to preserve the traces of these moments. Each photograph captures a moment sometimes ordinary for those who live it, but which became precious in our own journey. These images bear witness to what is built between two interviews, along a road, over a meal or a simple exchange: a relationship, an emotion, a deeper understanding of a territory. The photographs presented here are thus the traces of our documentaries. They reveal what escapes video editing: the encounters that open the doors of a territory, the bonds built through exchanges, the suspended moments between two reports, and the human dimension of field journalism. Through Bîranîn, we share these fragments of memory with the visitor. Each image opens the door to a larger story, which can be extended through the documentaries and reports associated with our route. The photographs thus become the entry point of a larger narrative, where journalism, memory and territory complement one another. Opening: Kurdish music and dance Musical performance by Deza Amed, traditional Kurdish music artist, followed by a dance performance by Juan-Golan Elibeg, dancer, actor and Kurdish activist. An opening evening under the sign of transmission and cultural memory. Date Thursday, September 3, 2026 Hours 7pm to 9pm Price Free How to get there? Maison de la Conversation 10-12 rue Maurice Grimaud, 75018 Paris Recommended public transport Metro: lines 4 (Porte de Clignancourt) or 13 (Porte de Saint-Ouen) Tram: T3B, Angélique Compoint – Porte de Montmartre stop Bus: lines 60 and 95, René Binet stop Instagram: @iciconversation Website: maisondelaconversation.org

Source: Paris Open Data ↗