Andrea van der Straeten
When I exited the metro with my suitcase at Nôtre Dame and saw that I could visit it without having to wait in an endless queue in front of the cathedral, I could not foresee that this would have been my only chance to see its interior. Less than two weeks later, a huge and biliously yellow cloud of smoke hangs above Nôtre Dame and, by coincidence, I stand directly opposite from it. Stunned, just like everybody else in the assembling crowd, I watch how the flames flicker from the rose window, consume the roof structure and cause the collapse of the spire.
And in the following weeks, I was able to learn a lot about the complicated and conflict-laden circumstances in France, especially from the discussions about the “right way” to rebuild the cathedral, the need for its reconstruction and the donors and decision-makers coming into play.
I spent much time sitting on the banks of the Seine. I only looked at the Eiffel Tower from a distance; it is made of steel. Perhaps I will get closer to it when I stay again in Paris.
| 1. | My stay in one word: |
| Formidable | |
| 2. | Things I miss since I am no longer there: |
| That you can walk along a street very often and still discover something that you have not noticed before – rhubarb jam, many good markets, not just at Bastille on Thursdays and Saturdays but also on Place d’Aligre (less expensive and also has a flea market on Saturdays), and that you can do the shopping on a market in different quarters every day – the politeness of Parisians – the two tiny keys for the Cité and the studio that always jump out of the lock after locking and unlocking (magnetic?) and that are so much easier to carry around than your own heavy bunch of keys together with everything fixed to it – the big studio, space for working, peace and concentration – the great Monday concerts at the Cité’s auditorium, the colleagues who are still there and the informal meetings – and much more. | |
| 3. | Dos & Don'ts at this place? |
| Use the time in Paris (as at other residency locations) to see yourself and your own work in a different context and, maybe, to change something – this may be a “do” for some and a “don’t” for others. That keeps you agile. | |
| 4. | Where you can buy great supplies: |
| Everywhere. Much has already been mentioned by other colleagues. Everything you need for working with photography is available around the Cité within walking distance; the small Kodak lab in Rue St. Antoine sells and promptly develops analogue black/white films with contact sheets. And very good: Picto for prints, L’Atelier Publimod for analogue hand-made prints. |
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| 5. | What you should definitely bring with you from home: |
| You can send a few indispensable utensils in a box by mail indicating your studio number to the Cité.Books (if you do not take along e-books) are available from:the last German bookshop of the city, which is very small but still has a very wide choice; it also organises events. Rue du Sommerard,1050 Paris; andShakespeare opposite Nôtre Dame, also on the left bank of the Seine. An institution and, what is more, extremely long opening hours and a small café. | |
| 6. | On art at my residency place: |
| Lafayette Anticipation is a relatively new place for contemporary art (modified by Rem Kohlhaas) with the aspiration of having its finger on the pulse; artsy visitors. Close to the Centre Pompidou.Among the big museums and exhibition centres, such as Musée d’Orsay and Louvre (usually rather deserted except for the floor where Mona Lisa is shown) you should not forget the Centre Pompidou.The collection is great.Jeu de Paume and, around the corner of the Cité, the MEP – maison européenne de la photographie.But the list can be continued on end, even without taking into account the many great galleries. | |
| 7. | Around the studio – this is where I go shopping, drink a coffee and get the best lunch specials within walking distance: |
| Just try them out! Good coffee (not that easy in Paris) perhaps at the Caféotheque (own roasting operations) on the corner – at the bar, instead of “sur place”, it is usually less expensive in Paris.On the way to Picto, the photo lab, there is also a very small coffee roaster near Bastille in the hidden green alley of Cour Damoye and, when you already feel stressed by the pace of Paris, this is a place of splendid peace and seclusion. |
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| 8. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks and best sound): |
| Or start – and anytime in between… In decent weather, on the banks of the Seine, down at Pont Louis Philippe directly at the riverside, there are colourful metal tables where you can get coffee, wine, beer, water and sandwiches at a price that is untypically low for Paris.Or at the small bar “A Lot of Wine” at Baptiste’s, the charming owner, just around the corner to the right at Rue Geoffroy l’Asnier. |
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| 9. | What I would have liked to know about the studio already at the start of my residency: |
| Have a look at your inbox at the reception again and again right from the start, even if you do not expect to get mail.All communications of the Cité are made via Internet and website – except for the invitation to a first meeting of the “newcomers” with a lot of information, drinks and buffet, which is delivered to your inbox. A good start. |
Website resident: andreavanderstraeten.net