Peurs sur la ville: An exhibition of urban violence in Paris, from the Occupation, to May 68, to burning cars in the banlieues. It culminated in a roomful of imagined photographs, where scenes of urban warfare in Belfast, Beirut and Sarajevo were transposed onto Parisian street scenes. Tanks in front of the Arc de Triomphe, dead soldiers in front of the Trocadéro, the Montparnasse Tower exploding. A very disturbing collection.
I wouldn't say this was my favourite bookshop, but it may well become it. I spent two hours curled up in an armchair reading a book full of fascinating observations on the French, from an English writer. I'd really recommend buying it, the name is "The Secret Life of France", by Lucy Wadham. The genre is packed, yet this was as hilariously anecdotal as any English satirist, and as theoretical as any French textbook.
I really intend to write some more myself on the differences between these two cultures, but for now I'll leave a set of opposites that seem to me to be generally true.
Protestant/Catholic
Happiness/Pleasure
Hard work as a virtue/Hard work as a necessary evil
Realistic/Idealistic
Music/ Art
Fuel/Flavour
Pragmatic/Theoretical
Individualistic/Solidarité
Irony/Charm
I love this first photo!! I'm gonna go see it at some point this week I think :)
ReplyDeleteThe art gallery sounds like it was really interesting, just the way one wants to spend their time wondering around art galleries even if the pictures were rather disturbing :) Looking at your list I'm more attracted to the french side think most people would be up for work being perceived as a necessary evil. However I do love music and some "art" is beyond me. Did you buy the book, or do you go to the shop to read it? Would like a bookshop were you could just sit there for hours, thought you going to have one of those lol but looks like someone's in love with Paris... xx
ReplyDeleteLIKE
ReplyDelete:p