Viktor lives in a tent in the Bois de Vincennes, a forest on the outskirts of Paris. He was trained as a chemist but now struggles with alcoholism and fragile mental health. I became curious about the circumstances that brought him here. He told me he was caught in Russia with an illegal chemical substance, which led to his confinement in a psychiatric hospital in the south of Moscow for six years. After his release, he left his country and sought asylum in Paris.
Now, Viktor survives by scavenging gold and metal from the garbage, melting it down using his chemistry skills, and selling it for whatever he can get. He also relies on occasional social aid to make it through. His plan is simple but daunting: to gather enough money to buy a van, which would offer him a safer and warmer shelter than his tent.
Everything about Viktor feels uncertain. Communication with him is fragmented, not only because of the language barrier but because his perception of reality seems to shift. His thoughts are often scattered, his memories blurred, and his truths shaped by a world that might not fully align with ours. Yet, within this fragility lies a quiet determination to survive.
