Into the Wild

In Paris it often seems as if every part of the city serves a purpose. Each square inch has been measured, divided up and is owned by somebody or some entity. A walk through the city takes you across the face of the mapped, but is it still possible to become an explorer and discover the untrodden, the abandoned, the unclaimed or the unused?

Glimpses of this wilderness do still exist, alongside railway lines, in the corners of hospitals and behind factories on the city limits. In these zones without roads, pavements or street furniture, it is still possible to find a kind of non-activity amongst the hustle and bustle of city life. Buildings that have ceased to serve a purpose and are now waiting for their next life, windows broken and doors hanging from hinges. External walls are crumbling to the ground, now little more than canvases for street artists.

It's always fascinating to walk in these zones, on the edge of the what was and the what it might become. These buildings will eventually be pulled down and live again. Wood may burn, but stone and brick are collected, cut to size and form the building blocks or a new construction. When the Bastille prison was demolished, much of the stone was used to build the Pont de la Concorde. From a solid fortress, the stone became something that eased access.

Is it morally decent though to celebrate the beauty of the abandoned in a city which does not have the necessary infrastructure to house all of its inhabitants? Often these spaces find lodgers, squatters who slip into the gaps between greedy owners and frustrated developers. The purposeless finds a new purpose, and the buildings and wilderness come back to life. Later the squatters will be moved out, the space will be claimed, cleaned up, developed and mapped. The possible will became a bland new reality, where even nature gets landscaped into submission.

Something for the Weekend? (10th/11th October)

Paris gets all nostalgic this weekend, with a retro garage sale, a vintage design market and a festival which turns the clock back 100 years.

Please add any events or activities you think should be promoted or which you would like to promote yourself in the comments, and let me know if you have any events in the coming weekends you would like to promote.

A Garage Sale…in a Garage!
An enormous and ancient bus station near the Place de la Nation is due to be renovated shortly, but in the meantime the RATP public transport company have decided to open the doors to the public for a giant vide-grenier (garage sale) for one weekend only. Alongside the traditional moth eaten furniture and cracked crockery, you will find a whole selection of ‘vintage retro-Paris’ activities including shoe-shiners, old-fashioned photographers and traditional barbers! The event will be accompanied by jazz and rhythm and blues music and will be open until midnight on Saturday.
Saturday 11th (8am to midnight), Sunday 12th (8.15am to 8pm)
18-20 Rue des Pyrénées 75020 (Metro Porte de Vincennes).

A Walk along the Canal
The Bassin de la Villette hosts the 10th edition of the Puces de Design this weekend, an event which is more for looking at unless you have a fat wallet. Giving you another reason to take a walk along the length of the canal is the installation of the artist Michel Quarez. From the Port de l’Arsenal near la Bastille all the way to Bobigny to the North-East of the city, the artist has placed 2,000 posters of various sizes, all featuring the same little cartoon character (pictured above). Organisers say that any additions people want to make to the posters are part of the event, so feel free to be creative! If you walk beyond the Parc de la Villette, admire the recent and very successful renovation of the 19th century Moulins de Pantin. Previously they were used for the transformation of flour for dough and bread, but they will shortly be home to a branch of the BNP bank – so once more used for the creation of dough and bread!

Fête des Vendanges – Montmartre
Yes, Paris produces wine, and no it isn’t very good. Nevertheless, it gives the residents of Montmartre another reason to dress up like Piaf or Montand and take to the streets. This event is always a little cheesy (nice with wine), but can be fun. Expect events in bars and shops, outdoor markets, parades on the streets and a grande finale involving fireworks.

Out of the Blue Festival @ La Java
For those looking for something calmer, the first edition of a new festival in Paris over three nights may be up their street. Actually, it’s taking place in La Java up my street so I have no excuse for not going. The goal of the festival is to promote little-known 'post-folk' musicians who are producing intelligent soundscapes, including Trespassers William, Jason Edwards, Kid Loco, Heligoland, Glissando and the excellent Morning Star.
Friday 9th/Saturday 10th/Sunday 11th
La Java, Rue du Faubourg du Temple, M° Goncourt or Belleville

Ports in a Storm
A curiosity or a sign that the depressed French are looking back to more traditional, homely comforts during the current financial crisis? In the west of the city, the Salon de Mariage will welcome those looking to get hitched (including more unorthodox civil ceremonies!), whilst to the east, the Animal Expo show will give them the opportunity to choose a family pet. This domesticity isn’t finished yet though – next weekend sees the ‘Futur Maman’ exhibition and the Salon du Chocolat!
Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th October.
Porte de Champerret and Parc Floral.

A Latter Day Saint

Think of Paris in the 1960s and the first images that spring to mind are those of left-bank barricades and crowds of chanting students. Wander a little further along the riverside though to the Boulevard de l’Hôpital and you will discover the setting of a much quieter revolution from this period.

It’s a warm Friday evening in September as I walk along the boulevard. There’s a crowd of students here too, but these are from the School of Medicine opposite and are quietly enjoying the happy hour prices at the Ménagerie bar. I haven’t come here to sit with them on this broad terrace though, but to visit the neighbouring Saint Marcel church.

It’s not easy to be without religion in France. Although it is a completely secular state, most French people still have some early indoctrinations of faith running through their veins. They are intensely proud of their secular, republican state, but in contrast, this also shows how powerful they believe religion to be. As a child, I went to a Church of England school in a country where the monarch is also the head of this church, and yet I felt none of this influence on a daily basis.

The decrees and culture of religion are largely an irrelevance to me, but curiously I have always found churches to be fascinating places. It is impossible to have an interest in history or architecture without having a certain knowledge of religion, and the three combine wonderfully in the Saint Marcel structure.

At the beginning of the 1960s, this site was home to Saint-Marcel-de-la-Salpêtrière, a neo-gothique structure dating from 1856. The state of the building reflected the condition of the church at the time. Dusty, old-fashioned and threatening to collapse. In the streets, messages such as “If God existed it would be necessary to abolish him” were written across walls. What relevance could there be for this institution in a world become modern?

The answer for the Catholics was the Vatican II, and the solid reflection of this council in Paris was the construction of the Saint Marcel church. The structure by the architect Daniel Michelin was completed in 1966, a year after the second Vatican council ended. In the place of gothic flamboyance, Michelin built purity and austerity. The structure is a simple one, a rectangle of layered concrete with a triangular glass-fronted spire encasing a staircase attached to the front. Climb up this staircase to reach the nave, situated on the first floor. Inside, there is a deliberate limiting of colours and textures; soft woods and glass in blues, greys and autumn coppers and golds.

There are other modern churches across Paris, but this one has a particular significance. Saint Marcel is one of the three saints who are said to protect the city, along with Saint Denis and Saint Geneviève. Certain relics belonging to Marcel, a 5th century bishop, can still be found in the church today.

Visiting a church for me is always a little like visiting a hospital. I feel like an intruder, but the walls still feel heavy with significance. Generally there is a freedom of movement in these places as it is assumed that there is a purpose to your visit and that you will respect the rules of the institution after stepping through the door. Finally, there is always a protective blanket of calm and silence.

On this Friday evening a service is taking place. I wait discreetly on the threshold and wonder at the five or six souls who are clustered together under the nose of the Priest. In a city of hundreds of churches, why do people choose to worship here? Have the changes proposed by the church 40 years ago and the neat angles of this structure affected the way they live their faith? These individuals are clearly a hardcore, not people who put on their best clothes to meet the neighbours on a Sunday, so why have they chosen concrete and pine over ancient stones and dark-aged oak? I understand them. I’m not looking for religion, but if I was I think I’d find it more in a place like this.

La Nuit Blanche

A few shots 'en direct' from the Nuit Blanche. It's a lovely evening, albeit a little windy. There's a bright full moon in the sky which is celebrated in the East as being the roundest and fullest of the year, and which is giving a little extra atmosphere to the installations.

All of these photos were taken at the Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

Something for the Weekend? (3rd/4th October)

This weekend, don’t expect to get much sleep. The first weekend of October is all about the Nuit Blanche, an arty all-nighter where bleary-eyed residents and visitors wander around the city, from temporary exhibit to temporary exhibit, until the sun comes back up. For those who do like their sleep, I have another few ideas for you.

Please add any events or activities you think should be promoted or which you would like to promote yourself in the comments, and let me know if you have any events in the coming weekends you would like to promote.

La Nuit Blanche
For this 8th edition of the annual all-night art festival, the organisers have decided to divide the city up into three distinct districts; the Buttes-Chaumont and 19th arrondissement, the Marais and Châtelet in the centre and the Latin Quarter across the river. As someone who resides in the North-East of the city, I’ll be concentrating on the first option, but in my opinion it is also the one with the most interesting selection of installations and locations. If you like the atmosphere of parks at night, got to the Buttes Chaumont and wander around the various creations, then wander down to the Piscine Pailleron which will also be hosting a special event. The swimming pool will be open too, so you can even go for a dip at 4am if you feel up to it!
The full programme can be found here
The night of the 3rd/4th October.
Various points around the city.

A Certain Ratio
If you want to ensure the success of a music festival called Factory, what do you do? Create a poster showing a pig covered in cucumber, or invite one of the original groups from Manchester’s famous Factory records label to open the festival? The organisers of this festival have done both, but it is the second decision that seems the more inspired. The group have been playing their angular ‘post-punk funk’ for over thirty years now, and are always worth watching live. Why does this show have to be so far out into the sticks though?
Saturday 3rd October
Le Plan, Ris-Orangis

La Subversion des Images
The latest exhibition at the Centre Pompidou brings together nearly 400 works of surrealist photography and collages, including work by Man Ray, Paul Eluard and André Breton. It’s a rare opportunity to see such a large and varied selection of material from this fascinating period, but ticket prices at 12 Euros seem equally surreal to me.
More information here
Until January 11th, 2010.

60 years of the RATP
Whilst you are at the Centre Pompidou, don’t forget to wander around the collection of photos on the piazza. Organised to celebrate the 60th birthday of the RATP (the Parisian public transport company), these photos are from the archives of the company and the Paris Match magazine, and were taken by such well-known names as Raymond Depardon, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Izis. The photos show how the inhabitants of Paris have interacted with public transport over the 60 years, and covers many significant events. The exhibition is divided into three themes; daily life, historical events and culture.
Ends October 4th

Take an Archibus
On the subject of public transport, has anyone taken an Archibus tour yet? Buses in Paris pass by some of the most significant and interesting architectural features in the city, and the Archibus leaflets will help you to spot them. My suggestion is that you take the Metro to Sully-Morland and visit the ‘Invention of the European Tower’ exhibition at the Pavillon de l’Arsenal before it closes (final weekend). When you are there, pick up one of their Archibus tour leaflets, then hop on the relevant bus! If you can’t make it, you can always download a tour from here.

Le Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
Want something more upmarket? Try Longchamp and the most exclusive horse-race meeting in the French calendar. Tickets are reasonably priced (4 Euros on Saturday, 8 Euros for the big event on Sunday) and even if you are not keen on racing it is still an excellent people-watching event.
It somehow doesn’t seem right though that it should now be known as the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.