The Poterne des Peupliers

The Poterne des Peupliers is one of Paris’s psychogeographical hotspots. Historically at once both a barrier and a passageway, this portal into the city was a place that saw traffic stop, water flow and trains pass overhead. The legacy is not clearly visible, but the creations of a collective of street artists today highlight its significance.

On one bridge is a railway line that is no longer used. Underneath, a road sits on top of the Bièvre river which has now been covered over. People are free to enter and leave the city as they please, with only traffic lights providing a brief pause to their progress. It would appear to be just an ordinary entrance point into the city today if it wasn’t for the creations on the walls of the various bridges.

If you arrive at this point via the tramway on the Boulevard Kellermann you will be following the city's 19th century Thiers fortifications. Some of the walls at the Poterne des Peupliers were originally part of those inefficient barriers, and it is on these walls that you can find creations by the inevitable Jerome Mesnager and Mosko et Associés, as well as more modern creations from Janaundjs.

If the creations are here though it is not to mark the old city fortifications, but rather to plot the entrance into the city of the Bievre river. This hidden waterway is celebrated by a collective of artists known as the Lezarts de la Bievre who work together at various points along the ancient routes of the river across the city's left bank.

The river is in the city's sewer pipes today, but this still seems like a highly significant part of the city. The picture below shows how it looked around 150 years ago (railway, river - more of a small stream in reality - passageway, and the peuplier (poplar) trees!), and although much of the surroundings have changed, the lines and axis remain the same. The city no longer has its physical barriers, but this is still a spot where energy flows in and out.

Something for the Weekend (13th - 15th August)

This weekend begins on Friday the 13th and ends with a public holiday, but there's no need to be afraid - there are still plenty of things to do. Listed on the Paris Weekends blog are some musical events and your last chance to visit a couple of excellent photography exhibitions. Have a nice weekend!

A Monument to Motherhood

A strange atmosphere reigns in the Jardin du Monument aux Mères Françaises. It’s barely a garden, just a few lime trees and a gravel path shaping attention towards the imposing monument at its heart. There is nobody here, and no traces to suggest that anyone ever comes. Is it the perspective, proportions or politics that put them off?

The scale is Stalinian, and this doesn’t feel like Paris. In fact its easy to imagine yourself in a garden of an obscure Eastern European state, confronted by a visual representation of an ideology that is clearly unloved by the locals. This monument though, despite its forms and size, is not promoting a dogma or (directly) commemorating a glorious war, but was instead erected to honour something far more universal. Motherhood.

The monument, created by the architect Paul Bigot, was inaugurated by the President of France, Albert Lebrun, on the 25th October 1938, but it seems much older. It is heavy and austere, solemn too with the grey weather-eaten faces of the statues. There is too much text, a full paragraph from Lebrun chiselled into the stone on one side, and quotations from Edmond Labbe and Victor Hugo on the other. War and sorrow do not seem far away, and indeed war was the reason for its creation.

The First World War had sent a greater number of young fathers off to battle than ever before, and many never returned. In the 1920s, France therefore saw a generation of children raised by just one parent, and the nation wanted to recognise the role played by these French mothers in the rebuilding of the country. The timing of the unveiling though, a year before another brutal conflict, was unfortunate to say the least.

Has the monument ever been a popular one? Christel Sniter, in a thesis entitled ‘Les femmes célèbres dans la statuaire publique à Paris (1870-2004)’, outlines how it almost immediately became the scene of protests. First, in the 1940s, when French communists gathered to protest, and later in the 1970s when feminists identified it as an image of opression. On both occasions, the groups were critical of the fact that the image of the French woman was again being reduced to just that of a mother.

It is awkward and massive monument, poorly situated in a pocket-sized park. It is incongruous and outdated, and yet it does seem there is something here worth celebrating. Or perhaps I just visited at an opportune moment. Naturally my thoughts turned to one French mother in particular. The mother of my son, and since last Thursday, the mother of our lovely new daughter.

Something for the Weekend (6th - 8th August)

August in Paris means being outside - as late as possible! To see my suggestions for things to do this weekend at night in the city of lights, see the complete list on the Paris Weekends blog.

Casting a Shadow

On a sunny day, two tower blocks cast two long shadows. Near neighbours on the edge of the 13th arrondissement these two structures give additional relief to a chaotic skyline.

The first is the Tour Super Italie. Designed by the architect Maurice Novarina, this almost entirely residential tower was opened in 1974. Although at 112m it is roughly a third of the height of the Eiffel Tower, its 44,000 tonne weight is four and a half times heavier! For quite obvious reasons, its nickname in the area is the 'tour ronde'. UPDATE - there is a swimming pool and sun terrace on the top floor of this building! See the Comments for more information.

Slightly to the south on the Boulevard Kellermann is the Tour Chambord. It was the work of three architects - Gérald Brown-Sarda, Michel Holley and Daniel Mikol - and was opened a year later, in 1975. The shadow here is slightly shorter, with its 34 floors covering 96 metres. The uninterupted balconies of the residents give views over several parks and gardens, incluidng the Parc Kellermann and the Jardin du Moulin-de-la-Pointe.

Angles and shadows, curves and contrasts. Perfect for photographers, especially on blue sky days, but perhaps not so agreeable for the neighbours who live in the shadows.