The National Archives, which fill a space of 3 hectares, are kept in buildings of the Marais in Paris. Beyond the exterior courtyards and the visited rooms, what do these magical places known as the National Archives look like? We are in an enclosed space in the heart of a big city: a world full of mysteries, daily rituals and codes.The photographer, a curious and patient recorder of events, takes these pictures almost systematically, in a place where traces of former people mingle with the rigid and aesthetic aspects of historic heritage. Patrick Tournebœuf explores this labyrinth and sheds light into these secret places with a unique and unprecedented documentary. His idea was to excavate the remnants of human presence within this immense radius of paper. Then the viewpoint of the historian Pierre Nora, who is a great connoisseur of the archives, puts the photographer’s work into perspective.