Laura Wagner
On Sundays until 2 p.m., there is a market at Place de la Bastille. Tourists, Parisians, pensioners, children, wealthy and less wealthy people all shop here. Crabs crawl in buckets, couples slurp oysters, and children pull tired arms toward flashing plastic cars. What happens here above all is that people who do not know each other talk, strike up conversations, negotiate, and come to agreements. They experience and create a shared situation. They create reality. Prices here are lower than in any supermarket, but you have to look each other in the eye and, above all, talk. Gestures, basic French, or even just English are gladly accepted. Afterward, any supermarket shopping feels contactless and like a loss of time and human warmth.
| 1. | My stay in one word: |
| Warm | |
| 2. | Dos & Don’ts in this place: |
| Dos: Explore Paris by bike, go out to eat, get tips from previous artists, contact the Cité if something doesn’t work (quick help), attend talks, visit the beautiful libraries and archives, take trips to nearby cities, get a French phone number (e.g., Free for 20 €/month), take a French course, get a library card, explore parks, eat onion soup, share information and knowledge Don’ts: Go to the Louvre on weekends, write in the Cité group chat that your laundry is finished, leave no tip |
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| 3. | Things I miss since I am no longer there: |
| Cycling on the wide bike lanes, jogging along the Seine, the Parisian density of possibilities, history, and activity, the dark bell ringing, speaking French, being an AiR, the Cité | |
| 4. | Where to shop great supplies: |
| The best online archives can be found at the BnF and the City of Paris; the local archives are also free, nearby, and very accessible. Everything is explained kindly, and you receive support in your research. Great bookstores include Gibert and Yvon Lambert. There are many stores for art supplies: Boesner Le Géant des Beaux-Arts (Gerstaecker) Rougier & Plé Laverdure, 8 rue de Prague, 75012 Paris (wood surface treatment) HMB-BDA, 8 rue de Prague, 75012 Paris (wood) |
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| 5. | What you should definitely bring from home: |
| ICOM card if possible, sharp knife, macchinetta, bath mat, bedspread for the bed in Atelier 1721, a passport photo for the Cité card, tools | |
| 6. | Concerning art at this destination and where I visited the best exhibitions: |
| Visual arts: galleries, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Petit Palais, Musée Rodin, Palais de Tokyo, Louvre, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature Apps and websites: SEESAW and https://www.parisgallerymap.com/ Performance, dance: Le Centquatre-Paris Cinema: L’Arlequin, Le Palais du Louxor, Le Grand Rex Talks: Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Art Basel Paris, Sorbonne |
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| 7. | Around the studio – where I shop, drink coffee, and get the best lunch deal nearby: |
| Shopping: organic grocery stores cost about the same as Billa in Vienna; Monoprix on Rue de Rivoli is open on Sundays Restaurant: at lunchtime order a “formule” (set menu) and a “carafe d’eau” (tap water) Pho: Song Heng (also for take-away) French cuisine: Chez Janou (lunch) Evenings: try places with patience If you’re in a hurry: quiche to go at Petit Versailles du Marais If something is missing in the studio: IKEA on Rue de Rivoli |
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| 8. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks, good sound, networking): |
| Along the Seine, brasseries, cinema, radio (e.g., FPI), openings | |
| 9. | What would have been useful to know before starting my residency: |
| White bin: glass Grey bin: residual waste Yellow bin: plastic + paper + metal Kindergarten (ages 4–6) in France is treated similarly to elementary school in Austria There is a Cité parents' group chat |
Website resident: laurawagner.eu