Sécurité école by Art 340m2︎︎︎
Fondation Renault + Ville de Boulogne-Billancourt + P.A.L.M
France, 2025 ︎︎︎ Paris
As part of its public interest mission, the Renault Group Foundation contributes to road safety prevention and education, as well as to the research of innovations aimed at ensuring safer travel for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Within this framework, the Renault Foundation proposed to the City of Boulogne-Billancourt the project “Sécurité École by Art.”
The City of Boulogne-Billancourt and the Renault Foundation entrusted the company PALM (Peint À La Main) with the creation of large-scale artistic murals on the roads and sidewalks around Place Jules Guesde, close to the many schools in the Île Seguin-Rives de Seine district. These visual compositions, designed by artist and illustrator Helena Pallarés, draw inspiration from the narrative of the memorial journey “Voyage en Industries.” They combine the industrial and social history of the area with contemporary elements such as local biodiversity, neighborhood life, architecture, and local businesses.
This project, with both artistic and heritage purposes, is fully part of an educational and civic initiative.
> Total area covered by pedestrian crossings: 10 crossings on the square, plus in front of the school and on the high school forecourt = 340 m²
Average area per crossing: 24 m²
> Formerly known as “Place Nationale,” Jules-Guesde Square was once a main entrance to the Renault Billancourt factories and now bears the name of the French Workers’ Party founder. Traces of its industrial past remain: the school’s historic facade and the siren, which once marked major social events and warned residents during WWII bombings.
Before Renault, the square was at the heart of the 19th-century “Village de Billancourt,” with three surviving buildings reflecting its early residential character: a former butcher, Café-Restaurant “Le National,” and the grocery-turned-bar “Le Central,” once one of France’s busiest tobacco shops.
The square has always been a hub of popular life, hosting markets, fairs, and community gatherings. In the 20th century, Renault gradually acquired nearby houses for its factories, workshops, and offices. The square remained a meeting place for workers, a starting point for company outings, and a site for immigrant workers’ support services.
Jules-Guesde Square has long been a space for cultural exchange, celebration, and labor activism, hosting strikes, union meetings, and women’s rights groups. Its legacy continues to be visible today in the school facade and the iconic siren.
The themes depicted in the murals are:
“The Jules-Guesde Square mural project was truly a gift for me, an experience that has left a lasting mark on my life. As someone passionate about history, especially of the 20th century, I was thrilled from the very beginning to dive into this iconic site.
The historical significance of this square goes far beyond Boulogne-Billancourt. My goal has always been to pay sincere tribute to everything this extraordinary place has contributed to the past, present, and future, not only for the people of Boulogne, Billancourt but for all of France. Jules-Guesde Square is a space for gathering, engagement, and reflection on the values of justice, equality, and environmental respect.
I wanted my murals to reflect this spirit, combining joyful colors with a visual language accessible to both adults and children, inviting everyone to explore and discover the hidden stories behind each composition.
It is with gratitude and honor that I embraced this artistic journey. I hope these murals provide both residents and visitors with visual pleasure and an invitation to embody the values that give true meaning to this remarkable square.”
Helena Pallarés
The City of Boulogne-Billancourt and the Renault Foundation entrusted the company PALM (Peint À La Main) with the creation of large-scale artistic murals on the roads and sidewalks around Place Jules Guesde, close to the many schools in the Île Seguin-Rives de Seine district. These visual compositions, designed by artist and illustrator Helena Pallarés, draw inspiration from the narrative of the memorial journey “Voyage en Industries.” They combine the industrial and social history of the area with contemporary elements such as local biodiversity, neighborhood life, architecture, and local businesses.
This project, with both artistic and heritage purposes, is fully part of an educational and civic initiative.
> Total area covered by pedestrian crossings: 10 crossings on the square, plus in front of the school and on the high school forecourt = 340 m²
Average area per crossing: 24 m²
> Formerly known as “Place Nationale,” Jules-Guesde Square was once a main entrance to the Renault Billancourt factories and now bears the name of the French Workers’ Party founder. Traces of its industrial past remain: the school’s historic facade and the siren, which once marked major social events and warned residents during WWII bombings.
Before Renault, the square was at the heart of the 19th-century “Village de Billancourt,” with three surviving buildings reflecting its early residential character: a former butcher, Café-Restaurant “Le National,” and the grocery-turned-bar “Le Central,” once one of France’s busiest tobacco shops.
The square has always been a hub of popular life, hosting markets, fairs, and community gatherings. In the 20th century, Renault gradually acquired nearby houses for its factories, workshops, and offices. The square remained a meeting place for workers, a starting point for company outings, and a site for immigrant workers’ support services.
Jules-Guesde Square has long been a space for cultural exchange, celebration, and labor activism, hosting strikes, union meetings, and women’s rights groups. Its legacy continues to be visible today in the school facade and the iconic siren.
The themes depicted in the murals are:
- The arrival of workers at the Renault factory
- The Renault factories
- The market
- The neighborhood residents
- Café Le Central
- The women's group “Groupe femmes”
- The eco-district
- The neighborhood’s flora and fauna
- The local dining scene
- The origins of Jules Guesde Square
- Se rassembler (worker mobilizations and strikes at Renault during the 20th century)
- The future of the neighborhood – entrance of the School of Biodiversity
“The Jules-Guesde Square mural project was truly a gift for me, an experience that has left a lasting mark on my life. As someone passionate about history, especially of the 20th century, I was thrilled from the very beginning to dive into this iconic site.
The historical significance of this square goes far beyond Boulogne-Billancourt. My goal has always been to pay sincere tribute to everything this extraordinary place has contributed to the past, present, and future, not only for the people of Boulogne, Billancourt but for all of France. Jules-Guesde Square is a space for gathering, engagement, and reflection on the values of justice, equality, and environmental respect.
I wanted my murals to reflect this spirit, combining joyful colors with a visual language accessible to both adults and children, inviting everyone to explore and discover the hidden stories behind each composition.
It is with gratitude and honor that I embraced this artistic journey. I hope these murals provide both residents and visitors with visual pleasure and an invitation to embody the values that give true meaning to this remarkable square.”
Helena Pallarés