day 152

the stade de france is the site of great national pride: in was built for the 1998 FIFA world cup where france won the final by defeating brazil 3-0. who would have thought?!

this is the stunning view of this national icon from the local metro stop in the suburban area of saint-denis. definitely worth checking out...

day 151

today I went to the studio of nemo and his fellow stencil artist jerome mesnager who creates ghost-like dancing creatures throughout paris. sometimes these ghosts meet nemo and they have been seen together doing circus tricks and sharing a glass of wine on various buildings throughout paris.

their studio is in romanville, right around the corner from where we stay in the suburbs and it now makes perfect sense that these stencils should meet socially.
unfortunately today the artists themselves weren't in, but these images were taken directly accross the street on bvd. henri barbusse and it was just lovely see a differnt context for these transitory creations...

day 125

4 months ago I arrived and took a jet-lagged photograph of these exact same pegs for day one. I'd just arrived, was waiting to go to my studio at cité des arts and was full of anticipation, expectations and exhaustion.

now, 124 days later, just as I am about to discover a new studio at cité and new potential in myself, I'm thinking about what has transpired over these months. the immediate response is that I feel settled. quieter. and more resolved to create things with more space around them.

I'm not sure what that could mean once I return to familiar surroundings in australia, but for the next month, the world is, again, my oyster and I intend to make the most of it...

day 124

the delightful men of romainville.
betrand and julian taking an early evening break outside from the oppressive heat of the day...

day 123

today was the perfect day to enjoy the sun and smell the roses.
out here is quieter, cleaner and slower: other than the odd statue, paris and her suburbs seem to have very little in commmon...

day 122

we are back in the suburbs again until our studio is ready on the 1st. there is a strange déjà vu happening here so I thought I would run with it and see how nemo was doing. alas, since the first time I shot him on day 11, things seem to have changed.

losing this nemo, who was pretty special in my heart, has made me a bit sad. he was my first!
but one of the things I discovered when I found this particular nemo, was that opening your eyes and really seeing the world around you, is something that takes practice...

day 57

a gorgeous algerian man at mairie des lilas in the suburbs...

day 56

my french friend denis reminds me of my dad:
generous, a great cook and stunningly good at looking after people.
it was eurovision song contest tonight and denis cooked lobsters on the bbq for us in honour of australia being the only country outside europe that cares! a brilliant night with the russian winners removing their white shirts while ice skating and playing the violin. thank you eurovision...

day 49

the french ministry of culture has a ‘small’ program dedicated to amateur dance. groups can apply for funds from a pool of 150 000€ to re-mount works by established professional choreographers to encourage a more sophisticated understanding of dance at a grass roots level.
this old farm, converted to the theatre la ferme du buisson (again in the suburbs), hosted this years’ presentation of the works, which were quite inspiring: works I’ve never seen live, performed by people without much training but completely in love with the piece. even the rain was lovely.

day 11

It's our last day in the suburbs - we're moving to cité des arts tomorrow.

under the guise of needing some extra milk I made gordon walk to the shops with me so I could get this photo. as we approached I started to practice my pathetic french in case someone was out the front.
"you can't take a photo there" gordon hissed "they're gypsy squatters. they'll say yes, ask you inside for a vodka and the next thing you'll know you will wake up in the ukraine minus a kidney".
but I’ve been wanting to photograph this all week. a good stencil is hard to find over here.
“I’m going to keep walking" he ranted, "if you get taken, I’m dressing up in drag and I’ll pretend to be you for the next three months - no one will ever know. I’ve got your walk down pat. don’t think that I wont”.

no one was outside when I got there, but without a backward glance, gordon continued walking.
next time you see me, check out my legs just in case - gordon's are much nicer...

day 9

it snowed. I thought I was just being precious when the spring air made my eyes sting and my throat ache. but it's 11am and the snow isn't going anywhere. I wasn't prepared for this. surprises are good, no?

day 7

I baked. chocolate and pear tarts with caramel sauce.

day 5

still not sleeping: so spent all day at home except to go out and find this strange square.
I took this for leesa - I thought she'd like it.

yesterday I failed the basic beginners french test at the alliance francais. spectacular failure is always disappointing.
we ate goat's cheese to feel better, sold by a man in a tiny shop who wrapped it in soft, white paper.
attention to detail is lovely. it melted and cheered us. the wine helped too...

day 3

colour is shocking here.

day 2

still in the suburbs. jetlag is always hard when it's rainy and cold...

day 1

just arrived off the plane. we are staying in the suburbs of paris.