Haunting Photo Series Features Paris' Forgotten Generation

Enchanted by Paris' concrete housing estates and their longtime residents, self-taught photographer Laurent Kronental launched "Souvenir d'un Futur," or "Memory of a Future," a captivating photo series that combines the past and future to reveal a stark generational divide.

Kronental began the ongoing project in 2011, chronicling the lives of elderly Parisians lingering in the city's historic "grands ensembles" -- massive housing complexes built after World War II.

Poignantly contrasting the aging buildings and their inhabitants, he said the series encourages viewers to reflect on the resilience of senior citizens who are "sometimes neglected" in a world that focuses on youth.

"I was literally absorbed by the atmosphere of the megalopolis and by its astounding mix of futurism and tradition," Kronental told The WorldPost. "[The architecture] deeply inspired my series by sketching the setting that I wanted to explore: a timeless universe, oscillating between future and past, marked by the wrinkles of its arabesques of concrete."

Take a look at more of the artist's extraordinary photographs on his website and below.