Urbanist, interested in the role of water in the city and the redevelopment of industrial wastelands. Based in Paris region. Bozena Kluba was a student at the National Conservatory of Arts and Trades in Paris, studying with Michel Cantal-Dupart. We invited Cantal’s students to do a one-week intensive at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Bozena came to the US and visited New York City, Orange and Baltimore with us.
As far as my participation was concerned, the idea was to seize the moment, in a big city, when things suddenly changed. Time and space became as if they were empty: time because we were ‘stopped’, confined, and space because the space of the city was almost completely emptied.
Then, how life started again: with the shopkeepers leaving information to the customers through the little words on the shop fronts, the announcements about the masks that were coming, a sign of the freedom to come.
Thinking of the city in this time of confinement was expressed above all by actions, small or large, of support, help to caregivers, neighbours, expeditions to do shopping in an hour… the city was frozen, our imagination needed a reboot.
Reset’s happening now.
1. Exposition Frapper le fer, l’art des forgerons africains, Musée Quai de Branly, le dernier jour (13/03/2020) avant la fermeture des tous les établissements culturels, nous étions très peu nombreux déjà
(Exposition Striking Iron, the art of African blacksmiths, Museum Quai de Branly, the last day (March 13th, 2020) before the closure of all cultural establishments, already there were few of us there.)
Photo 1: “La sortie du musée” / The museum exit
Photo 2: “Tête d’homme souriant Totonaque Mexique” / head of smiling Totonac man
Photo 3: “Tête de femme souriant Totonaque Mexique”/ head of smiling Totonac woman
2. La Seine était en crue, voici quelques images…après elle s’est confinée ☺
(The Seine had risen, see in these images… after it was confined)
Video 1: “Devant Trocadero” / In front of Trocadéro
Video 2: “sous la passerelle Debilly” / under the Debilly footbridge
3. Lors d’une sortie autorisée d’1 h (l’attestation à remplir à chaque sortie) en pièce jointe), la ville vide de Versailles.
(During an authorized one hour outing, (the certificate to be filled out for each outing is attached), the empty city of Versailles
attestation-deplacement-fr-new2020 03 25 Versailles devant le chateau (Versailles in front of the Castle)
Photo 1: V. le parvis moto (forecourt motorbike)
Photo 2: Versailles le parvis (forecourt at Versailles)
4. 2/05 – une petite fille, pieds nus, goûte à la liberté, cela fait de l’animation.
May 2nd, 2020- a little girl, bare foot, tastes freedom, making her animated
5. Le confinement est levé le 11/05/2020 – tout le monde sort un peu, beaucoup. L’inquiétude est dans l’air.
The quarantine is lifted May 11th, 2020– everyone goes out a little, a lot. Worry is in the air.
20200409 Mon chat confiné (my confined cat)
20200412 Easter wishes
20200426 le ciel bleu (the blue sky)
20200502 Depuis ma fenetre (from my window)