WORK / LIVE 干活 Blandine de La Taille, Makan Camara

Since 2024 the Social Sensibility R&D Department, from an idea by Blandine de La Taille, has been creating a communal garden in Gonesse, open to anyone who wants to observe, cultivate and take part. The project belongs to the history of workers’ and family gardens: some people at the factory still remember the vegetable patch near the canteen once cultivated by workers, a piece of workshop memory we would like to bring back.

As ecological issues grow more urgent, the garden is also a way to question our responsibility towards the environment, to rediscover how to engage with the living and to invent a way of being together in a place apart, within the workplace. Thanks to everyone whose help, commitment and knowledge give life to this collective initiative.

Makan Camara built a beautiful set of furniture from recovered pallets, with an intuitive and refined talent for shapes and materials. Working during his lunch breaks, he found a creative space for himself that has become a welcoming place for the community.

In midsummer, at the time of the first harvests, we shared a meal in the garden. Thanks to all for unforgettable flavors – bissap, pastels, hummus, tortillas and a galette for dessert – and above all for the unique atmosphere you create. A special mention for the piece of furniture by Iris Lacoudre, brought back to life for the occasion.