Paris People: Mademoiselle London

Is it possible to write a portrait of someone who doesn’t exist? It’s not Mademoiselle London, an imaginary character, in front of me, but her creators, the art and writing team Katya Jezzard-Puyraud and Franki Goodwin, and yet she is ever present, somehow bigger than all of us.

But who is she, and how did she come into being? “She’s a bit of both of us” explains Katya, the writer who gives the character words and thoughts. “And she’s also anyone who’s ever felt they don’t quite belong somewhere” chips in Franki, who creates all the artwork in Mademoiselle London’s world.

Mademoiselle London is a website, happenings, poems, prose, sketches and now a book, Mademoiselle London (heart) Paris (sometimes). “Bad love affairs, bad grammar and bad hangovers”, promises the press release. The book is the opening chapter of her new life in Paris, and sees the character wresting with loneliness, language and some very dodgy characters. Underneath though there is something more tangible, something more universal. It’s a short book, attractive but dense. It’s more of an experience than a read.

The book, and Mademoiselle London’s existence, is also completely bilingual. “This element is crucial to our work” says Katya “I live everyday with two languages and I think it’s important to reflect that”. Franki the artist has no such language boundaries in her work, but she still sees the beauty of the bilingual being; “the translations take the poems in different directions. She loses her language and they can become sadder, more poignant and in some cases even funnier”. It also makes their work, and Mademoiselle London’s experiences, all the more universal.

And the ambition of the team in this respect is impressive. “Kat and Franki also have a crazy idea that their translated texts might somehow break down some of the language and cultural barriers that keep the English and French at loggerheads” cries the press release, before adding that “they don’t expect over six centuries of bickering to be undone by some bloody poems”.

They do however believe that Mademoiselle London has been created at a time when relations are beginning to change between the two nations. “I think the relationship has become much more affectionate, that we have more and more in common and are starting to understand each other better” states Franki. “For me Mademoiselle London is born out of this change - my French girlfriends read the book and don’t feel it’s about being English in Paris. It’s about being in Paris. Point!”

Both of the creators are, like their invention, originally from London. Paris was a dream, a distant attraction, and yet close enough to turn into a reality. Anyone who has ever attempted such a move will be familiar with the issues and emotions it entails, all of which generally boil down to one single fact – how do you find your place in this strange new world? For Katya and Franki, the answer has been through a joint creation, an individual who could encapsulate all that they had experienced.

“I am very happy to hide behind Mademoiselle London" confesses Katya. "I use her to reveal all most embarrassing stories and deepest feelings. Weirdly, since hiding behind her, my words have become more visible. And this project has really helped me find a toe-hold in this city” she adds. For Franki, some of the results have been more surprising, “when you arrive anonymously in a place where you could be anyone, you actually become more yourself than ever before. I didn’t expect that”.

The book is a view of Paris through Mademoiselle London’s eyes, but despite the many sketches, we never see the character herself. She is clearly though an individual who has grown through the exchanges between Katya’s words and Franki’s sketches. As Katya says,“I am always inspired by Franki’s drawings. She’s like a bottle of eye drops. She makes me see Paris clearly again”.

“Our decision to work together was so seamless that I sort of forget where my early scribbles of Paris stopped and the birth of Mademoiselle London began” adds Franki. “I feel like she arrived when I did. I try not to “illustrate” in the traditional sense but match up things I have drawn with the wonderful pieces Kat has written. It’s more of a game of snap than a linear process from words to image”.

Mademoiselle London may not exist, but she has clearly only just been born. Many more adventures are planned for her in her adopted city, and her two creators have very clear ideas of the directions she will take. “We will be continuing our character’s Parisian adventures with a graphic novel – a riotous night in the life of Mademoiselle London. We are also planning a line of bilingual t-shirts which will launch in the New Year. Our art and writing events will continue around Paris where we hope to get ideas from everyone involved in Mademoiselle London’s life”.

You have been warned!

Mademoiselle London (heart) Paris (sometimes) is available from a selection of stores in Paris, and online here.

City Snapshots: L'Arcouest

Pont de Sevres, 8am. The sky is slate-black, it's freezing cold and drifts of snow lay across the ground. L'Arcouest, the solitary café in the neighbourhood, pulls people towards it like a magnet, offering warmth, light and a meeting point. The context, like the café and its decor, hasn't changed for decades.

There are days when no-one wants to go to work, when the day ahead promises just difficulties and dark skies. Ten minutes in L'Arcouest and a shot of hot coffee straighten your mind and put you upright again. Some will be back at lunchtime, back every lunchtime, the comfort of familiarity in plastic chairs. Others had just stopped for a moment, passing through to somewhere else.

Dressed/Undressed

In the foreground, a building is being brought to the ground, naked except for a forlorn sign offering bargains on long since departed furniture stock. Behind, the giant Tour Courcellor is getting dressed up for a new decade. A curious contrast, but one which reminds us of a simple fact. In all construction there is first destruction.

The Tour Courcellor in Levallois has been an imposing hulk alongside the railway lines running into Saint Lazare since the 1960s. A remnant of the time when the town was Communist-led, it's clothes, dripping with asbestos, were no longer in vogue and are now being replaced.

Photo: raptor974 (Paris Skyscrapers forum)

Off comes the concrete and cladding, on goes shiny blue glass. At its feet, the smaller neighbours had no offer of a new wardrobe, and will simply be replaced by brighter, lighter units, clearly contemporary but not built to last.

The result is an artist's impression, rendered digitally perfect. Blue skies, happy people, fast cars. Yesterday was old hat. Doesn't everything look better dressed in the emporer's new clothes?

Something for the Weekend (26th - 28th November)

There’s a strong probability of snow this weekend, and with Christmas lights now on and windows dressed, there should be quite festive atmosphere.

So grab a grog and warm up with my list of recommendations on the Paris Weekends blog.

Les Catherinettes de la Sainte Catherine

November 25th is Sainte Catherine's day, otherwise known in France as the day of the Catherinettes. On this day, young women aged 25 who are not yet married have the opportunity to wear a hat and go looking for a husband!

Although the event has little relevance in today's society and is no longer celebrated (apart from in a slightly ironic manner or as a family rite of passage), it was a historically important occasion, and this has been captured by a sculpture in the Square du Montholon in the 10th arrondissement.

The sculpture shows five young working-class women, most probably from the hatmaking or dressmaking trades (of which there were many in the district) celebrating the Sainte-Catherine. It was an important tradition in these communities in French cities in the 19th century, giving young working women the opportunity to break away from the harsh conditions of the workshop. They would put on their best clothes (and a specially made hat) and attend organised balls and parties, events that were sometimes considered their last chance to find a husband!

In this sculpture, the work of an artist called Julien Lorieux, you can see five women linked arm in arm, each wearing an extravagant hat (although not as extravagant as in the photo above!), with two or three of the women also carrying orange blossoms or papier-mâché oranges. These young women have probably been caught by the sculptor at the moment they left their place of work before heading off to the evening ball, an event that they seem to be very much looking forward to.

Julien Lorieux didn't live to see his sculpture being unveiled. As with many men of his generation, he was to die prematurely during the First World War, and although he had created the sculpture in 1908, and sold it to the city of Paris in 1913, it wasn’t displayed to the public until 1923.

By that time, was the tradition already beginning to seem like old-fashioned folklore? The event was off course originally a religious one. Girls were traditionally thought to be under the protection of Sainte Catherine, while Saint Nicolas looked after the boys. On November 25th, girls participated in devotion groups where they created a headdress to place on her statue. Young women left the group when they got married, and therefore taking part in the ceremony became synonymous with still being single after 25.

Although developments in society saw first the religious elements dropped, then the need to find a husband at an early age, it is still pleasing to see a popular tradition commemorated in this manner. So, if you know any unmarried 25 year old women, don't forget to wish them a happy Sainte Catherine's day on the 25th!