day 142

the fabulous andréa at the starcooker in the marais...

we were taken to dinner by some lovely family friends and andréa was our waiter who perfectly complemented the most gorgeous wallpaper and décor I have seen in ages...

day 132

arun, an australian choreographer, arrived today for a few days and so I took him down to paris plages to see the strangeness in person. this 'beach' has been built on voie georges pompidou, which is a major street and tunnel complex next to the seine. it's now open to walk through - and so we did...


arun in front of the emergency alarm inside the tunnel.

I was quite sure we were going to be run over but it was, instead, a ghost tunnel full of smog, perspex lighting and mosaic tiles: a bizarre insight into a forbidden world!

day 131

look, I'm not doing this for myself: it's for the art...

day 128

near our studio, one of the roads next to the seine has been turned into paris plages: the paris beach...


as you enter this beach wonderland there are mist makers and everyone and their dog is is cooling down and having fun.

should you get bored with the mist however, there are bands, pétanque areas, bars, sun lounges, a swimming pool, change areas and, of course, 3m sq of real sand for you to sunbake on.
trés important when a parisian bikini may only get a few weeks a year to be seen...

day 103

last day in paris for a while. strange to be leaving this little atelier and this small community of artists who have become like another home for us. difficult though this place is, I think I'll miss it: seeing friends in the street, asking how their work is going, watching the development of amazing pieces (pierre's work is finished!), working on projects that have had input from the neighbours, discussing post-colonial art-making issues during communal dinners. it reminds me a bit of my parent's house in the 70s - everyone coming over, bringing plates of food, drinking and discussing life. the support, the friendships.

these days everyone is very busy. there is never enough time, or people are 'stressed' from work. I'm not sure when getting older equated to living less, but this strange community has reminded me that connections are important when making life and making art...

found this bravely stenciled on the side of the centre pompidou. not sure how long it will last but I thought it was a nice idea to take to the next place...

day 102

everyone loves a cliché. if only there had been a béret...

day 100

what does this city mean to us? the visitors, the flâneurs...

10 artists who have been here for a while, came to share their experiences of what it's been like to live and work as an artist in paris. what has it been like for these foreigners, living here and making art? sometimes for months, sometimes for an entire year?
after the initial shock of beauty has gone, what has paris left these strangers?


click here to see the photographs we took today reflecting on our time in paris...

day 97

a lovely little bar in the marais where tonight, I had my first gin-fizz...

day 95

young jewish boys playing in their school yard (the school is in the background) around the corner...

day 88

watching the tango in the building next door...

day 83

dancing into the early hours at the annual micadanse party in our courtyard...

day 78

threatening to rain is a parisian habit this summer...

day 59

when it rains here paris makes sense: the city is washed clean, the grey roofs become bold statements against the grey sky and the light reveals subtle shades of the buildings that before just looked dirty.
in the wet, this city is transformed...

day 50

reflecting on rue de rivoli

day 44

michel taking a break outside the underground where he was playing...

day 43

at the small park next to our place, amidst the 'death by ping-pong' games and the football being played on 3msq of dirt, was this lady walking her cat...

day 38

look who I found again today!



perhaps our 'no one' man is someone after all...

day 33

1st of may: I thought I would take part in rallies or french protests or at the very least a march uniting the workers of the world. but no, just another public holiday. when will I learn that expectations lead to hell?
but once I let it go, this delight revealed herself to me.



not entirely sure what's going on here...

day 30

there are several homeless men who sleep in front of the cité des arts. they are there every night with a tent, sleeping bags and even a small television. during the day they clear up and some of their stuff is left near the flower beds opposite the front entrance.

day 29

red squares in the marais...

here is the thing. I'm a bit hungover today - last night we went to a super funky party on the 4th floor of an enormous apartment in montmartre overlooking the whole of paris. we cut up the dance floor like it was 1979 and arrived home at 7.30am. so, since I'm ten years older than last time I did that, I'm spending the day in bed. these squares were found, felafel in hand, during my ten minute grease stop in the middle of the day. I thought capturing the funk wasn't very arty: but should I take the camera next time?

day 21

it was inevitable that we would end up in a club where a naked man was showering over the bar - we do live in the marais after all...

day 20

the auld alliance bar: an old alliance between the scottish and the french. strange bedfellows but to prove they were still keen on the french, dogs are allowed inside.

my last day of french classes. I wasn't as bad as I'd expected: lower your expectations and the world is your oyster...

day 12

"toujours imité, jamais égalé" - always copied, but never equalled. I love it!

this impressive sign is above a hole in the wall in the marais. truly delightful.

finally at cité des arts. it's not quite what I'd expected...